


a series of very fortunate events (working title)

by arguedontfight, parxdoxical



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Bullying, Good Peter Pettigrew, I'll add more tags when necessary, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lupin-Black family - Freeform, Marauders Friendship, Minor Violence, Multi, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, also not much but it's there, except maybe Lucius Malfoy, god I hate that guy, it's just a punch here or there so nothing big, it's not Davina or Charlie so don't worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-11-22 22:32:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11389764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arguedontfight/pseuds/arguedontfight, https://archiveofourown.org/users/parxdoxical/pseuds/parxdoxical
Summary: "It still felt surreal, even after two weeks of changing diapers, fighting over food, two weeks of loud, piercing cries in the middle of the night and many arguments about the stupidest things because of too many sleepless nights. But not once in these two weeks had one of them regretted or doubted their decision. They were the happiest they had been since their first date in their seventh year in Hogwarts."orThe life of Remus and Sirius Lupin-Black and their daughters.





	1. Moon

**Author's Note:**

> This kind of came into being through a Harry Potter question thread on twitter and the very similar answers a friend and I gave, so now we kind of are Sirius' and Remus' adopted daughters. And that really just is what this fanfiction is about. So have fun with it.

I. 

They both looked so small in the two cribs, right in front of the bedroom’s window. A single ray of moonlight was breaking through the clouds outside, illuminating the small room and the people inside it. Remus wasn’t able to tear his gaze away from the two babies lying in front of him and a smile began to make its way onto his face. 

It had been two weeks ago that Remus and Sirius had visited the small orphanage at the other end of the town to take a look at the two girls that had been left on the orphanage’s doorstep only two days prior. They had been informed immediately after having already stated their wish to adopt two children months before. It had been the best day of their lives. 

Remus remembered only too vividly how he’d held his daughter for the first time, his husband next to him, cradling the older baby to his chest. Only one day later they had taken Davina and Charlotte Lupin-Black home. For now their cribs had their place in Sirius’ and Remus’ bedroom, right in front of the window and every night one of them would at some point get up and check on them. At least was that the excuse Sirius as well as Remus used to get up around two in the morning and watch their daughters sleep. 

Their daughters. 

It still felt surreal, even after two weeks of changing diapers, fighting over food, two weeks of loud, piercing cries in the middle of the night and many arguments about the stupidest things because of too many sleepless nights. But not once in these two weeks had one of them regretted or doubted their decision. They were the happiest they had been since their first date in their seventh year in Hogwarts. 

“Rem?”

Remus turned his head to look at his husband who was lying in their bed on his back, his black hair surrounding his head like a halo, his eyes only half opened, looking at his husband. Remus smiled fondly before turning around fully and walking back to their bed to crawl over his husband. Sirius grinned and lifted his hands to let them rest on Remus’ hips while Remus dipped his head down to kiss the other man senseless. A content sigh escaped Sirius’ lips into Remus’s mouth as he pulled him down until Remus whole body covered Sirius’ and there was not an inch of space left between them. Sirius grinned into the kiss as his hand slowly slid up Remus torso under his shirt just to jerk his hand away and bump his forehead into Remus’ when a piercing, high pitched cry came from one of the cribs. 

Remus groaned and rolled down from Sirius but didn’t make any move to get up again. Sirius looked at him with a cocked eyebrow and Remus only smiled innocently.  
“It’s your turn, babe. I’m gonna go back to sleep now”, he purred before he turned around and buried his face in his pillow. Sirius looked from his husband to the crib and back before another deafening cry rang through the air and Sirius sighed a defeated sigh before he got up and walked towards the cribs. 

“Hey, Princess,” he whispered tenderly before he lifted Davina out of her crib and cradled her to his chest where she abruptly stopped crying and looked at him out of big dark eyes, “Yeah, Papa’s here, it’s alright.” 

And if Sirius Black sat down in the kitchen with his daughter in his arms at 2.30 am and quietly sang to her, watching her with adoration and love in his eyes, there probably was no happier person in the world than him.


	2. First times.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of first times throughout the years.

II. 

The last ten years had been an endless journey of first times. 

Davina’s first word had been ‘Poppa’, directed at Sirius, whereas Charlotte had addressed Remus with ‘Dadda’ as the first word of her life. Their preferences hadn’t changed a bit; Charlie found most of her comfort in long nights spent with Remus, having him read to her or letting him teach her how to play the piano as soon as she was older; Davina loved to spend time with Sirius, where he would quietly sing to her or dance through the living room with his daughter standing on his feet. 

Their first birthdays were both celebrated in the company of their family. The Potters stopped by sometime during the day but they didn’t stay for very long having their own son to look after. The birthday cake Sirius had attempted to bake had turned out ‘horrifically terrifying’, to say it in Remus’ words, who hadn’t been able to stop laughing for an hour straight. Davina and Charlie had not cared much about it since they had fallen asleep at some point during the whole disaster but they would later still laugh with their Dad about their Papa’s failed attempt on baking. 

The first time one of their daughters was sick Sirius immediately had a panic attack. They were both four years old, Davina was heating up, coughing weakly every once in a while and Charlie would just lie next to her in Davina’s bed and hug her close to her chest, no matter how often her Dad had told her to leave her sister’s room so that she didn’t infect herself. Sirius was no help at all, having no plan how to deal with sickness which was why Remus found himself doing all the work. He called Lily who had been amazing at potions and he used all his knowledge on healing spells. A few days later and Davina was back to her old, energetic self. Only for Remus to note that now Sirius, the ultimate drama queen, had caught a cold. Sometimes Remus really felt like he was raising three kids. 

Years of Sirius dancing through the whole house with Davina on his feet eventually ended in her first dancing lesson and immediately Remus and Sirius knew that they had found their oldest daughter a hobby. They went to every contest or show, cheering for her in the front row and being the most embarrassing parents in the world and they called out on it by their daughter dozens of times. But still; Davina loved it. Dancing was her very own thing after having been sharing everything with her sister for years and she was secretly glad that Charlie didn’t find the same shelter in dancing as she did. 

Charlie’s refuge was music. Remus had played the piano to her for years and taught her since she had been old enough to understand it. She loved the calming feeling of the keys under her fingers and the presence of her Dad, when they sat next to each other on the piano stool, their hands dancing and creating melodies as they went. When she then discovered her Paps’ old guitar in the back of the attic there was no holding her back and she quickly began to teach herself how to play it. Whenever she had a fight with her sister or her parents or her friends Charlie would lock herself in her room and play the guitar, varying the melodies to match her mood. 

The first time the Lupin-Black sisters feared for their family was when they both were eight years old and Remus and Sirius had their first huge fight. Of course they had been fighting throughout the years, little arguments over stupid things like schedules or doing the dishes. But this was different and Davina as well as Charlie could tell that. They sat on Davina’s bed while Dad and Paps were yelling at each other, their silencing charms not working because of the burning emotions. They were insulting each other and then a door was slammed shut and the house went silent. Davina immediately jumped up to run to the window to catch a glimpse of who was leaving only to let out a panicked gasp before she ran downstairs, out of the door and after Sirius. Charlie wanted nothing more than to follow her sister but when she went downstairs, a lot more slowly, a lot more carefully, she saw her Dad sitting on the floor of the kitchen, his back to the cabinets, his face in his hands, shoulders shaking from suppressed sobs. So she didn’t follow her sister but instead went over to her Dad, carefully wrenched his hands away from his face before she let herself fall into his lap and curled up to him, hugging him tightly. Davina brought Sirius back only a few minutes later and the little family fell into a hug on their kitchen floor, hugging each other close before Remus and Sirius looked into each other’s eyes and came to a silent agreement. 

One day later the Lupin-Black family sat at their dinner table. It was then that Remus put his fork and knife aside and cleared his throat before he raised his voice. It was hard for him to talk about his lycanthropy but necessary and Sirius took his hand into his own at some point and squeezed it reassuringly. Davina and Charlie sat next to each other staring at their parents in disbelief until both stood up from the table to walk around it and hug their Dad. They were a family. These people had taken them in. They were not letting that go. 

The first time Davina had a serious fight with her Dad she was nine and it was because she brought home a stray kitten she had found in a little puddle under a streetlight. Remus had not been amused to say the least and had almost thrown the little thing out immediately. Sirius had directly sided with Davina and defended the fur ball while Charlie just sat next to them, anxiously watching them fight. It would have looked amusing if it wasn’t so terrifying: Davina stood in the middle of the room, soaking wet from the rain outside, the little bundle of white-orange fur pressed to her chest, Sirius behind her, his hands on her shoulders, an unwavering source of support. Remus stood in front of them, staring at the kitten with obvious disgust and hatred and breathing heavily. Sirius eventually sent the sisters up to their rooms, Davina still holding the kitten close to her chest. From her room she could still hear her Dads scream, argue, fight and all she wanted to do was cry. Her sister hugging her only did so much. It took Sirius a lot of convincing and Charlie’s best puppy eyes before he caved in eventually and Davina was allowed to keep the kitten. And that was how Missy joined their little family. 

The first time Charlie was caught in a serious fight with both of her parents it was one of those fights where you’ve already forgotten the reason for the fight by the time you were yelling at each other. The sisters were ten and Charlie was crying, screaming at her Dads and she didn’t even know why anymore. She only remembered herself screaming “You shouldn’t have adopted me, if you didn’t want two children!” before she had bolted past her frozen parents and run out of the house and down the street. She had ignored her sister’s panicked call after her and the shocked silence from her parents, she’d just run and stopped when her lungs started to protest and her legs were threatening to give out underneath her. By the time she had stopped, Charlie was too far from home to know where she was and there, in the middle of nowhere, she started to cry. And it felt like hours later that an old, blind lady with her guide dog literally stumbled upon her shivering form. The dog had stopped to sniff the girl’s hair and Charlie had let out a muffled chuckle when the dog’s nose had tickled her cheek. They somehow managed to bring her back into Remus’ arms who hugged his daughter close to his chest and stroked her hair, telling her it would be alright. They had put her fight aside, no one really knowing why they had fought in the first place. And a week later a rust-coloured fur ball named Ginger joined their family. 

One of the last first times Sirius and Remus were there to witness was someone trying to separate their daughters. Since the day they had adopted the two girls, Davina and Charlie had been inseparable, they had done everything together that didn’t involve dancing or playing the piano. So when Davina received her Hogwarts letter and Charlie didn’t, it was clear that something needed to be done. There was only a minor age difference between the two of them. It should be easily possible. But of course, like everything that included their little family, it wasn’t. And only seemingly a million letters to Dumbledore and McGonagall later Charlie received her own Hogwarts letter and their world was whole again. 

Their visit at Ollivander’s had been interesting, to say the least. Charlie didn’t take long to be chosen by a wand, a beautiful maple wood wand with a dragon heart string core, 13” long and slightly springy. If one could believe Ollivander it was a wand that showed a high status and an adventurous owner, capable of great magic. Remus had smiled and ruffled his daughter’s hair while Charlie had blushed furiously and murmured a sheepish “Thank you”. Davina’s wand took a bit longer to choose her. In the end they paid for a light brown wand made of cedar wood with a phoenix feather core, 12 ½” in length and highly flexible. Ollivander had handed it to Davina with great care and warned her of the wand’s own initiative and independence which many wizards and witches found to be quite annoying. Davina had just smiled and the family had left the store to buy their school books. (And a stack of novels for both sisters. They were Remus' daughters after all.)

The last first time for Sirius and Remus was waving their daughters goodbye as the Hogwarts Express disappeared in a cloud of thick white smoke. They stood and  
waved after the train until it was nowhere to be seen, huddled together, directly next to James and Lily who had said goodbye to Harry. 

The first time without their parents for Davina and Charlie was on the Hogwarts Express in one compartment with Ron Weasley and Harry Potter when they looked at each other and grinned, both knowing the other thought the same. 

This was just the beginning of their story.


	3. The first impression of Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sisters attend Hogwarts for the first time and it's time for their Sorting Ceremony.

III.

Their very first time at Hogwarts was an experience, the sisters would never forget. Of course they tried to hide their nervousness, but if one had looked closely, the slight shiver of Davina's fingers as she held on tight to Missy and the small crack in Charlie's voice when she laughed about something Ron had said, were obvious signs that the sisters were distressed. For the last ten years they had grown up in a safe, loving environment, knowing that, whatever happened, they could count on their parents helping and protecting them. It's not like they needed any protection, or at least Davina liked to pretend they didn't need any, but it felt scary to be on their own. Scary, but good. At least they had each other, right?

Remus and Sirius were both worried about their daughters. To them it was obvious that the two would be separated earlier than they expected to be. They had spent nights of talking to their daughters, telling them everything they knew about Hogwarts, especially about the four houses. Despite knowing their daughters well, they weren't sure which houses the Sorting Hat would assign to them. To Remus, Charlie was an obvious Ravenclaw. She was smart, that was no question, but her creativeness and incredibly strong will to learn new things were what convinced him his younger daughter would be a Ravenclaw. Sirius has argued that she could also be a Hufflepuff, she was incredibly patient and her will to learn could also be interpreted as dedication, not to forget the hard work she puts in everything she loves, but Remus just had this feeling, that she would not be put in Hufflepuff. Davina was a different case. Sirius considered his older daughter to be a lot like him and expected her to become a Gryffindor. She had proven herself to be very adventurous, not afraid to speak her mind. Sirius would definitely describe her as brave and courageous. Remus tried to make Sirius consider the other possibilities, knowing that his daughter possessed other traits as well, traits that would qualify her as a member of another house, but Sirius wouldn't listen. In fact, Remus feared that his older daughter might become a Slytherin. The traits Sirius thought of as Gryffindor traits could easily be understood as Slytherin traits, Davina's adventurous and daring side might be due to her youth and would get weaker as she gets older. Similar to Charlie, Davina was intelligent. But where Charlie was rather smart, Davina was cunning. She used her intelligence to get what she wanted, sometimes Remus had the feeling that she was able to read a person's mind. He didn't tell Sirius about this, fearing it would only upset him. Even though they couldn't quite agree on the houses their daughters would be placed in, they knew, that they would get separated. And they also knew, that Charlie and Davina did not expect to get separated.

Whilst the Sorting Hat sung its song, the sisters could not really be bothered to actually listen to it. There were too many new people, too many impressions for them to really focus. Both of them were glad that Harry was there, a face they had known forever, but a familiar face alone didn't take away their nervousness. Charlie wondered if everybody felt so unsure, but then again not everybody had a sister to lose. Davina never doubted that the sisters would be put in the same house. "We're sisters, Charlie. We're inseparable," but deep inside she knew as well that they were, in fact, separable. The sisters knew that they attracted the attention of some students. Remus and Sirius were well-known, being members of the Order Of The Phoenix and having defeated Voldemort, but they were also one of the first very openly gay couples, presumably the first ever gay couple to adopt children in the Wizarding World. It sometimes made the sisters angry how some wizards treated their parents, like there was something wrong with them, and they both knew that in a world where it was still important to some whether you were pureblood or not, being the children of gay parents wouldn't be easy, but both girls were more than willing to fight everybody who would try and question their parents' love. With their last name being Lupin-Black, the sisters would have some time to watch the Sorting Ceremony before they would get sorted. As it was time for the letter L, Davina suddenly grabbed Charlie's hand. Charlie looked at her, surprised, knowing her sister was usually not the one to seek for support, she usually tried to manage things by herself, but secretly she was glad for the stability Davina's hand provided. They watched a boy named Neville Longbottom get sorted into Gryffindor, before it was their turn. Charlie squeezed Davina's hand, as her name was called by Minerva McGonagall, the head of the Gryffindor house. "Charlotte Lupin-Black!" People started murmuring as Charlie slowly walked to the stool, where the Sorting Hat was placed. Davina wished, she could've went there with Charlie, not wanting to leave her sister alone. Despite them almost being the same age and Charlie already being half a head taller than Davina (not to mention she was the more responsible sister), Davina had always felt like she needed to protect her sister. As the Sorting Hat called out "Ravenclaw!" after barely touching the top of Charlie's head, she felt relieved. Based on what her parents had told her, she had wanted to be in Ravenclaw, feeling very drawn to this house and its values. Proudly she walked to the Ravenclaw table where the older students cheered for her and welcomed her. She almost missed the moment in which Davina sat down on the stool. Even from the distance, Charlie could tell how afraid her sister was. Ravenclaw had always been the house, Davina identified with the least. As the Sorting Hat shouted out "Slytherin!" the entire hall went dead silent for a few moments, before the students from Slytherin started cheering for their newest member. Davina went entirely pale, slowly walking to her table where she was greeted and welcomed. Her look tried to find Charlie. She had never needed her sister more than in this particularly horrible moment. The sisters' eyes met. Charlie knew exactly what Davina was thinking, she heard her sister's voice as clear in her head as if it had been her own. "He will disown me. Abandon me. No, he will probably kill me."

To Severus Snape, it seemed like terrible irony. He looked at the newest student of his house, before slowly letting his eyes wander to her sister at the Ravenclaw table. Oh the irony. The daughter of Sirius Black got sorted into Slytherin.

And that's how the Lupin-Black sisters got separated by the place they had dreamed of for months now.


	4. A rough morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sister's face their first day in Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning!  
> This chapter contains a pretty detailed panic attack. If you're triggered by that, please be safe and don't read this chapter.   
> I also only have my own experiences with panic attacks to go by, so this is not a general description of panic attacks but just my subjective experience.

IV. 

“He will disown me.” 

Charlie looked at her sister with wide eyes, soothingly stroking her arm. They sat next to each other in a corner of the library, close together with their backs to the aisles, facing one of the huge windows while the rain was drumming against the glass. Davina had buried her face in her hands, leaning into her sister’s side, her dark hair a mess, while Charlie had slung her arm around her shoulders and hugged her close to her chest. 

“This is a disaster. This is worse than Missy. This is so, so much worse than anything I could ever do to him. He’s going to hate me. And then he’s going to disown me and I’m gonna to have to leave and I don’t want that,” Davina rambled, her voice barely more than a choked breath and Charlie only swallowed hard, continued to rub her hand up and down along her sister’s arm. 

It was the day after the Sorting Ceremony, early in the morning, before breakfast even. Charlie had awoken to her sister standing in front of her bed in the Ravenclaw girl’s dormitory, dark bags under her eyes, her hair sticking up from her head in every direction and her hands desperately clutching her pyjamas. In a second Charlie had jumped out of her bed, slipped her feet into her house shoes and thrown a warm blanket around her sister’s shoulders before she led her to the library. The smell of old books and wood had always been comforting for both sisters. 

“Oh god, Charlie, he will hate me! I don’t want to leave!” Davina breathed and lifted her head to look at her sister. Charlie tried to smile reassuringly but failed and instead just pulled her sister into a tight hug, holding she close. 

“I won’t let him. I will stay with you, okay? Nothing will separate us again,” Charlie whispered into Davina’s hair and Davina buried her face in Charlie’s shoulder, tightly gripping the flannel of her sister’s pyjama. They stayed like this for what felt like hours, blocking out the world around them while outside the sun rose and the school awoke. It was like they were five again when their Dads were fighting over stupid things and the sisters were seeking comfort in each other’s presence. It was calming to always have each other, to always rely on each other when things were going south. And this was one of those moments. 

“Do you want to write it to him yourself? Or do you want me to do it?” Charlie asked tentatively as she disentangled herself from Davina and looked at her with concern clearly written on her face. Davina blinked a few times and rubbed her hands over her face before shaking her head. 

“I’m gonna do it myself. Just … I don’t know … could you be there with me when he answers?” Davina’s voice sounded hoarse and tight and Charlie wanted nothing more than to just pull her sister into a hug again. Instead she just nodded. 

“Of course. I’m your sister, remember?” She lightly elbowed her sister in the side and Davina smiled weakly. 

“I know,” she murmured and leaned her head against Charlie’s shoulder, “You’re the best.” Charlie looked down at her sister with a surprised look on her face. They didn’t really voice their affections. Both sisters knew how much the other meant to them, they normally didn’t need to say it. When they did, it was mostly jokingly, in passing. A sarcastic “Love you, too” after an even more sarcastic insult, an enthusiastic hug and a “You were amazing!” after a great contest or concert or silent hugs of comfort; those were their language. They normally didn’t need words. 

“Yeah, I know,” Charlie answered with a fond smile and pressed a kiss to her sister’s forehead, “But we should probably get going and get dressed if we don’t wanna miss breakfast,” she added thoughtfully and Davina nodded: “Let’s go.” 

They parted ways at the library’s doors where they hugged again before Davina went down to the dungeons and Charlie climbed up the stairs to her common room. Charlie worried about her sister. She knew how tough Davina was and how she was able to deal with almost everything, but Charlie couldn’t help it. They were always looking out for each other, they were always there for each other and suddenly they were separated and Charlie couldn’t make sure anymore that her sister was alright or didn’t do anything stupid. It just didn’t feel right to walk away from her sister, especially when she was as upset as she was in that very moment. 

Charlie heaved a sigh before she slipped into the common room behind some older student to get dressed and then make her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was only then that she realised that they wouldn’t even be able to eat breakfast together. She stopped dead in her tracks in the middle of a corridor. Since they were little they had always been together. Always. That couldn’t be over just like that. Not just like that. 

She could feel the only too familiar tightness of a panic attack rising in her chest and immediately tried to remember how Davina dealt with them. _Count with me, Charlie. One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten. Count and breathe with me. Come on, Charlie. Breathe._ She tried to remember her sister’s voice, gasped her name. But she wasn’t there. Her sister wasn’t there and Charlie could feel how she stumbled to the side and her body hit the stone wall, her breathing sped up and she couldn’t think, she couldn’t concentrate while she slid down the wall, sat on the ground. All she could hear was her blood rushing in her ears and her heart hammering against her ribs. It felt like they were breaking. With a broken, breathless sob Charlie pulled her knees up to her aching chest while she tried to pull more air into her lungs and failed. Desperate for anything that would ease the pressure in her chest, the swirling of her thoughts, she pressed her head between her knees, her hands clutching her hair, while hot tears dropped onto the floor as she was captured in her thoughts. 

And that was the position Davina found her sister in. 

She had anxiously waited for Charlie to enter the Great Hall for breakfast and had grown more and more worried with every minute that passed without her arrival. She somehow managed to swallow down a piece of toast until the small voice in the back of her mind grew too urgent and she stood up from the Slytherin table and hurriedly left the Hall. Charlie wasn’t late. It was one of the many character traits Charlie had picked up from their Dad and one of her few that she was actually proud of. Davina’s thoughts were racing with worry while she imagined every possible scenario she could find her sister in. When she hurried around a corner and found Charlie crouched against the wall, barely conscious due to the lack of oxygen in her system, breath coming at a rapid pace, her heart stopped for a second. Within another second she was next to her sister, one hand carefully lifting Charlie’s head, the other gripping her shoulder. 

“Come on, Charlie, look at me,” she pleaded quietly, shaking her sister, “I know you can hear me. Come on, open your eyes, look at me. Breathe!” Charlie’s eyes fluttered open, unfocused and glassy, and Davina swallowed, then smiled reassuringly before supporting her sister’s head and resting the other on Charlie’s ribcage. 

“Hey,” Davina whispered, only loud enough that her sister could hear her, “Breathe with me, okay?” She took a deep breath for her sister to copy and Charlie sucked in a shaky gasp of air, her eyes slowly focussing on Davina, who tried her best to look calm and composed. Charlie’s hands flew up from where they had still been clutching her hair and gripped Davina’s shirt as she tried her best to control her breathing. Davina started to count to ten, slowly, quietly but clearly audible for Charlie who slowly began to regain her composure. 

It took them a few more minutes and they both were already much too late for class when the younger girl toppled over and crashed into her sister’s waiting embrace mumbling incoherent things while Davina just held her, gently stroking her hair. It was only after a few more minutes that Davina began to understand what Charlie was saying, repeating the words over and over like a mantra. 

“Don’t leave. Please. Don’t leave.” 

Charlie’s voice was shaky and full of a kind of desperation that indicated a lot more emotion than Davina could fathom in that moment and her heart shattered. 

“No, I’m here. I’ll always be here. I promise,” she whispered back and held her sister even closer to her chest, “I’ll never leave you alone.”


	5. Fine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sisters adjust to life at Hogwarts.

V. 

“Dear Paps, dear Dad, 

I know you have been waiting to get this letter much earlier but neither Charlie nor I were able to find the time to write it in the stress of the last days. We did get your letters so don’t worry, Marlene did her job. We just couldn’t reply. 

Hogwarts is amazing. It is exactly like in your stories with all its corridors and towers. The stairs gave Charlie quite a headache though. She was late for three classes already because of her lacking sense of direction. I don’t know how she does it; I don’t find it to be that complicated and she usually is the one to know the way.   
Charlie is alright. She says ‘hi’ and that you shouldn’t worry too much because we’re both fine. 

Classes are alright, I guess, some more interesting than others, but now I can understand Aunt Lily’s excitement for Potions more than ever. It is incredibly interesting and even though I think my teacher has something against me, I really enjoy it. History of Magic is boring but maybe that’s just because Binns makes it boring? Charlie loves it. She’s also already planning on taking Muggle Studies in Third Year, which is stupid if you ask me because she could always just ask Aunt Lily. I like Defence Against the Dark Arts because it isn’t only theory and the teacher is nice and I guess I’m pretty decent at Transfiguration. Uncle James would be proud of me. Is there any particular reason that McGonagall looked at me and Charlie on my first day and looked like she was about to resign when I said that Paps told me to say ‘hi’ to her? Because I think she is seriously considering it. Especially when she saw Harry’s name. 

Flying Lessons start tomorrow and I think it’s stupid because honestly? Uncle James put Charlie, Harry and me on brooms before we could walk so I don’t think we should have any problems. That stupid rule about First Years not being allowed to have an own broom was totally his fault, wasn’t it? I need someone to blame for not being able to bring my broom. The school brooms must be horrible. I miss mine.   
I’m also going to try out for the Quidditch team. Maybe if I’m really lucky they’ll take me even though I’m only in first year. 

There also is another thing, I need to tell you. Dad was right. About the Sorting. 

Charlie is in Ravenclaw but that was obvious if you ask me. She just belongs there and I guess she loves it there. I’m not in Ravenclaw but that is no surprise, I guess. I’m also not in Gryffindor and I’m sorry for disappointing you, Papa. I got sorted into Slytherin. I know you didn’t want this, Paps. But please just try to accept it. Not all Slytherins are bad people. 

Lots of love from Charlie and me, 

Davina”

 

With a heavy sigh Davina folded her letter, slid it into an envelope and then tied it to their family’s owl’s leg. “Go on, Marlene. You know, where home is,” she said with a slight smile and let her out of the window of the library where she had been sitting for the last hour to write the letter. 

She was definitely not looking forward to receiving a reply, not this time. Rationally, Davina knew that her Paps would never disown her. He loved her and she knew that. But she couldn’t help but worry. Sirius had never hidden his hatred for his family, for Slytherin and for purebloods in general and how glad he was that he hadn’t been sorted into Slytherin unlike the rest of his family. He had also always joked about how his daughters would be traitors, would they be sorted into this one particular house. Davina sighed again and leaned back in her chair. She understood her Paps, she really did. And she’d never really wanted to be a Slytherin.   
But it wasn’t bad. 

The common room and the dorms were still confusing her because of the greenish light that fell through the lake and the water behind the windows but she was getting used to it. At least her bed was comfortable. She shared a dorm room with Pansy Parkinson, a girl with fair skin, silky black hair and green, cat-like eyes, who was the most Slytherin-ish person, Davina had ever met. Pansy was confident, strong-willed and ambitious and very honest. Davina liked it. Pansy had told her that she was pretty much fine with Davina’s parents’ relationship and for Davina that was enough. She had been prepared for a bigoted, homophobic rant and it had been nice to not having to defend her family for once. Davina und Pansy sat together during most of their meals and in most of their classes and it was fine. Slytherin wasn’t so bad after all. 

The other Slytherins were … interesting, to say the least. Some of them were exactly like her Paps had described Slytherins and Purebloods: bigoted, homophobic and snobbish. Davina met them and then really just ignored them. She knew exactly what her Paps would think if she tried to befriend one of those people. And luckily, were not the majority. Most Slytherins were like Pansy. They were confident and charming, they knew how to get what they wanted and they could be terrifying. But they were also kind and they accepted Davina and Missy, who didn’t leave her side, and they did not once look at her strangely because of her surname. Davina felt accepted and welcomed. And it was like home. 

 

For Charlie the Ravenclaw common room was paradise. She had always thought that Ravenclaw was for the solely intelligent people, for those who used pure logic and who would one day be able remember Bernoulli’s theorem to the last letter. She didn’t. And she thought that she would never be that kind of intelligent. Her intelligence was in music and words. And that was the exact reason why she felt so at home in her common room and with the people you were there with her.   
A beautiful, blue and bronze grand piano stood in one of the corners, covered in sheet music and empty sheets that just waited to be filled with notes and words, pens lied around, ink stained the floor and the chairs. It was messy and perfect. It reminded Charlie of her room back home which just didn’t seem to be able to stay tidy for more than an hour.

Huge windows let the sun into the dorm rooms and by night they allowed the students to watch the stars. From her bed Charlie could look up into the sky and when she opened the window the wind would ruffle her hair. When it rained the air in the tower smelled like it and on particularly bad days Charlie sometimes just sat down on her bed with her guitar or a book and listened to the rain drumming against the window and closed her eyes and just existed. It was bearable. On good days it felt like home. 

Charlie shared a room with Lisa Turpin and Isobel Douglas who couldn’t be more different. Isobel was a calm, composed girl with huge glasses on her freckled nose, brown hair, dark eyes and slightly darker skin who was rarely seen without at least one book in her hand. Lisa was the exact opposite. Her hair was a vibrant dark red, her eyes a brilliant green and her skin pale like snow and she never stopped talking. It was a miracle when she breathed for a second. Charlie was something in between and she was more than comfortable in their new, fragile friendship. 

Classes were interesting and Charlie enjoyed most of them even though she couldn’t stand potions, unlike her sister. She just was too much like her Dad. But Flitwick praised her in Charms and she was one of the few people who did not fall asleep during History of Magic. She did agree with Davina, Binns was making it even more boring than it was already but she read the textbook in the meantime and worked ahead or did her homework for another class. So the time was not completely wasted. 

The sisters met up every day in the library in the same spot they had gone to the first morning and which had quickly become their spot. Some days they talked about their day, some days they studied together, and some days they just sat next to each other in comfortable silence, leaning against the other to seek comfort; Charlie needed the comfort for the days in which being alone with people she barely knew became too much to handle and Davina needed the comfort whenever the stress of everything grew too heavy for her to handle. So they also sat together in their spot in the library when their fathers’ response to Davina’s letter arrived. 

Davina had been fidgety since the letter arrived first thing in the morning. But she didn’t want to open it alone because she knew she was going to need her sister’s silent support when she read her Paps’ response. Waiting was nerve-wrecking. So after dinner the first thing she did was to grab her sister by the wrist and pull her towards the library and to their spot by the window where she sat down and put the letter down on top of the table in front of them, staring at it. Charlie looked at her sister with concern. 

“Do you wanna open it yourself?” she asked hesitantly and after a few seconds of silence Davina shook her head and leaned back in her chair, her head resting on her sister’s shoulder. Charlie just picked up the letter and tore open the envelope without a second thought so she could read it. Davina had closed her eyes and just listened to her sister’s voice. 

 

“Princess, 

Oh god, we could never hate you just because of the house you were sorted into. Nothing of this is your fault and it certainly is nothing you’d have to be ashamed of. As long as you are happy, we are, too. Never forget that. 

Much worse than being sorted into Slytherin, in my opinion, is the fact that you are good at potions. What has Lily done to my sweet, innocent child that you enjoy such a horrible and awful subject? Tell your sister that she definitely got that sense of direction from your Paps because I never had any trouble finding my way around in Hogwarts. The stairs are going to be your eternal enemy though, I can tell you. 

We’re really just incredibly happy that you two are fine and adjusting and if you didn’t find time to answer then that just means that Hogwarts keeps you busy which is good. Someone would be doing something wrong if you weren’t. 

I guess you two and Harry are McGonagall’s worst nightmare. No offense. But your Paps, your uncles and I gave her a more than just a few headaches in our time back at Hogwarts so it’s kind of justified. Just try not to follow in our footsteps. You don’t want to get onto her bad side, believe me. You don’t want to get on any teacher’s bad side, if I’m completely honest because they all have a lot of power over you. Remember that, Princess. 

You’re going to be amazing at try outs and they would be stupid if they didn’t take you on their team. Your Uncle James says that he doesn’t know what you’re talking about so you can figure that out for yourself. He also says that he will come to every game if you and Harry make it onto the teams and that he would maybe even cheer for Slytherin. Isn’t he a great godfather? 

Don’t feel bad for being a Slytherin. They make some of the best wizards in that house. We love you two, no matter what. 

Hug and kiss your sister from us and lots of love to the two of you, 

Dad”

 

Davina lifted her head from her sister’s shoulder and looked at her. Charlie smiled. 

They were going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, that was that. Don't get used to a chapter per day because we won't be able to keep that up, I'm just currently on vacation and today it was raining constantly so I had time to write this.


	6. Things Have Changed For Me and that's (not) okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When faced with a new situation, things change.

After a short while, Charlie noticed a change in her sister’s behavior. When the two of them had classes together, Davina didn’t talk to her as much as she used to. No, Davina suddenly enjoyed chattering with her new friends from Slytherin, especially that Pansy girl. Charlie heard them talking and laughing and whispering stuff she didn’t understand. Technically, Charlie knew that she had no reason to be jealous at those girls or to be angry at her sister, but every time she heard Davina laughing with her new friends, it felt like there was an ice-cold claw around her heart, clutching it together really tight.

At least Davina still showed up regularly in the library and when the sisters were together, everything was normal, everything was fine. Charlie liked their time together, she enjoyed listening to whatever her sister had to say or to just sit next to her, spending time together in quiet, like they always used to. Silence between the sisters had never been an unpleasant thing, but nowadays, Charlie sometimes felt like Davina wished there was no silence.

One day something happened that Charlie never had expected. Davina was too late. The sisters had never determined a certain time for their daily meet ups in the library, but they always, always, met up around the same time. Charlie sat in the library for an hour before Davina finally showed up.

”Where were you?” Charlie asked without looking up from her History of Magic textbook, her voice cold.

Davina did not seem to notice her sister’s tone. ”Um, with Pansy and Emily at the common room.”

”Mhm,” Charlie focused on her textbook, without actually seeing any words, ”With Pansy and Emily,” she echoed.

”Yes,” Davina said, irritated, ”Charlie, is there anything wrong with you?”

”No,” Charlie shot back, harsher than planned.

Davina’s expression softened. She knew that tone well. ”What’s up? Hey, look at me. You know you can talk to me. Who did you wrong?”

Charlie raised her glance, looking directly into Davina’s eyes. Her sister had no clue at all. Sometimes, she didn’t get Davina. Her sister could practically read a person’s mind, but when it came to her own behavior, she sometimes was oblivious. Looking at Davina’s big brown eyes, so honest, so soft, Charlie couldn’t bring herself to tell her what was up.

”Just a bad day,” she quietly said and forced herself to smile.

”Alright,” Davina said, still not convinced.

”Alright,” Charlie nodded and focused on her textbook again.

Davina knew something was up with her sister. After spending her whole life with her, she knew her sister better than herself. It was obvious that something was bothering her and it was even more obvious that Charlie tried to hide it. Davina was not going to force her sister to talk about it, but she really wanted to help. But Charlie would talk to her if she needed somebody to talk to. The sisters had always talked and this time would not be different, right? Right?

 

Emily kept on talking and talking and talking on their way to class about a lot of things, some of them mattered, some of them did not. Emily O’Marcy was a quirky and chatty girl, but sometimes she thought that she did not exactly fit into Slytherin, but Davina liked her nevertheless. As Emily changed topics to her favorite one: Draco Malfoy. Pansy and Davina exchanged a quick glance and started to giggle. They were convinced, Emily had a crush on Draco, even though she always denied it.

”Oh my, Emily enough,” Pansy said at some point, ”If I hear the name Draco Malfoy once again, I will hex you.”

”You’re just jealous, Pansy,” Emily answered, but she dropped the topic quickly after.

The three girls arrived at Binns’ classroom and Davina spotted her sister immediately. She was sitting at their shared desk, staring at her textbook, ignoring the chatter of the students around her. A smile emerged on Davina’s face. This day was going to be a good day. Just yesterday she had been accepted into the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Chaser. She, a first year! This was everything she had ever dreamed of. So far, she hadn’t had the chance yet to tell her sister and she quickly left Pansy and Emily alone to rush to her desk.

”Guess what,” she started, a big smile on her face.

Charlie looked up. ”What?” she asked.

Davina’s smile just got bigger.

”By Merlin’s beard,” Charlie exclaimed, ”They accepted you?”

”Yes, they did!” Davina shouted and laughed.

Charlie congratulated her sister, feeling genuinely happy for her. Davina had wanted to play Quidditch ever since she could walk and now she got accepted into the Slytherin team, as a first year. Some part of her brain argued that now Davina would only have less time for her and would spend even more time with her new friends, but Charlie shut that part of her brain up. It was okay for Davina to fullfill her dreams, it was more than okay. And it was also okay that she had dreams that didn’t include her sister. It was okay.

Binns started the class and Davina groaned quietly. She hated that class, Charlie knew it, but still she softly elbowed her sister in her arm and told her to be quiet. Davina rolled her eyes at her sister, but obeyed with a tiny smile. That felt almost normal. Normal was just what she wanted. But normal was home with their parents, their pets, her piano and Davina dancing through the living room. Maybe, Charlie thought, maybe she should send her fathers a letter, explaining how she felt. Maybe that would help. Maybe her fathers would understand. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

”Charlotte, are you listening?”

She had zoned out. ”Yes, of course, Professor Binns,” Charlie quickly said and tried to stop her cheeks from blushing. She could hear a few Slytherins giggling, but Davina sent them an angry look to make them stop.

”Great, then I’m sure that you can tell me the answer to the question I just asked.”

Charlie blushed even more but Davina quickly mouthed the question to her, knowing her sister would know the answer. Luckily, Binns didn’t catch them and Charlie answered the question correctly. A warm feeling arose in Charlie’s stomach. Her sister would always try to help her. They would never be alone, they would always have each other. But somehow it felt like Charlie was losing her sister.

As the class was over, Davina’s Slytherin friends instantly impounded her and with an apologizing look and a smile over her shoulder, she let them drag her away from her sister. Charlie tried to return that look, but she failed. They didn’t have their next class together anyways, but just a few days ago, Davina would have walked Charlie to her next class, making sure she would be okay wherever she was. When they were younger, Charlie had often insisted she didn’t need her sisters help, she was not a baby, simply a few months younger, but Davina, despite being totally chaotic and often found herself in situations where she was the one who needed help, was just always trying to make sure her little sister was okay. Charlie often thought she didn’t need that support, but now it was more than obvious that she did need that support. She missed that support.

 

After her first official Quidditch practice, Davina was in a hurry. She had convinced her sister to watch it so Davina would not be all alone. Emily had tried out for the Quidditch team as well, but Marcus Flint, the team captain, said that she wasn’t good enough. Marcus did not seem like the nicest guy to ever exist, he was rather a rude and gruff person, always talking too loud and in a commanding tone, which Davina did not like. She would never admit it, but she was a little bit afraid of Marcus.

”Hey, Lupin-Black!” someone shouted after her. Davina could already see Charlie waiting for her and really wanted to get to her sister, but she stopped anyways and turned around.

A tall, slender girl called Lydia White who, ironically, had very dark skin and black, curly hair. She was a third year and a Chaser, just like Davina. ”What a long last name,” she scolded, ”Your parents should have picked a shared last name. Or is that not possible with two men? I don’t know and I don’t care. I will just call you Black. Get it?” she asked and laughed. She had a shrill, nasty laugh. ”White and Black?”

”Ha ha,” Davina said, not really able to force herself to an actual laugh, ”What is it, White?”

Lydia twirled a strand of her dark hair around one of her fingers. ”I was just wondering,” she started slowly, ”If you wanted to hang out. You know, maybe before or after practice. We are the two youngest on the team, I mean there is no second year on the team and all that. You’re a first year, but you still seem quite alright. I figured, a friend on the team would not be a bad thing.”

Davina was surprised. She had expected everything, mostly hate, but not this. ”Um,” she started, ”That sounds like a really good idea. But, maybe not now? My sister is waiting for me.” Davina gestured into Charlie’s direction.

”Sure,” Lydia said and shrugged, ”Whatever.” As if the talk before had never happened, but her quick smile she gave Davina as she passed told her that she hadn’t forgotten about it. Davina quickly scurried to her sister with a big smile on her face.

”Hello, hello,” Charlie said and smiled as well, ”How was practice, you Quidditch star?”

”Oh, shut up,” Davina said and laughed, ”It was just fine, extremely fun. I still can’t believe I actually made it. It’s so surreal. I haven’t even told Paps and Dad yet, can you believe? Merlin’s beard, I totally forgot to send them a letter.”

Davina kept on chatting and chatting, jumping to other topics like her potion class and how Snape actually praised her for doing well on her partner work with ”douchebag Goyle”. And when she went on about how much she missed living in a room right next to Charlie’s, carefully linking the arms of the two girls, Charlie felt like maybe this new situation was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Charlie said, don't get used to us updating regularly! We just both have vacation, no school, but next year of school is going to be harsh for both of us, so enjoy the daily updates now and try not to miss then when we randomly disappear for weeks! Nevertheless I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you do, leave some comments or Kudos!


	7. Stars.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sleepless night.

Remus couldn’t sleep. Ever since his daughters left the house, he hadn’t been sleeping well. During the first few nights, Sirius had stayed awake with him, keeping him company, comforting him. He had listened to his worries and fears, his hopes and wishes. Letting go of their daughters hadn’t been easy for either of them. The family had always been incredibly close, closer than many families and the empty house left Remus and Sirius’ hearts empty. They still had each other, they’d always have each other, but something was missing.

The night was very quiet and the sky was clear, Remus could see every star. He was ignoring the moon and focused on the stars. He looked for his three lucky stars. It was a dumb thing, he knew it. The stars had no impact on his life, they were just stars. But after the very first kiss of him and Sirius, Remus chose this one particular star in the Orion’s Belt, surprise surprise, as his very first lucky star. Ever since then, whenever Remus felt bad, he looked at this star, his Sirius-star and was immediately reminded of their first kiss. He thought of Sirius’ soft lips on his own, their gentle movement, the stubble over Sirius’ upper lip, scratching Remus’ lips, their fingers intertwined. Looking at this star, he suddenly felt sixteen again. It reminded him of why he loved his husband.

But by now, Remus had two other lucky stars. They were part of the Orion’s Belt as well, close to each other, not far away from his Sirius-star. The one was slightly bigger than the other, but not shining brighter in any way. It was funny that the bigger star, his Charlie-star, belonged to the bigger girl. His Charlie-star shone bright and beautiful, reminding him to stay calm and focused, reminding him of the days and nights he spent next to his daughter, teaching her how to play the piano. The smaller star, his Davina-star, belonging to the smaller girl, seemed a bit more yellow than her sister’s, a bit more different and colorful. It reminded him to stay fierce and creative, reminding him of getting distracted from reading, because his daughter had been dancing through the living room, destined to not stop dancing until she had the eyes of everybody present on her.

During times like these, he needed his Charlie-star and Davina-star the most. He missed his daughters like crazy and he knew Sirius felt the same way. Sirius’ thoughts haunted him in his dreams. In fact, Remus knew that his husband was dreaming of their daughters right now. Sometimes, he liked to stay in the bedroom, watching Sirius, wondering what was going through his head at the moment. But sometimes, he liked to sit on the windowsill in the kitchen, a cup of tea in his hands, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, his eyes on the stars.

Having children was different to everything he had ever imagined. Remus had never imagined that he could feel such a love for somebody, let alone for two people. Seeing his daughters growing up from tiny babies to beautiful young ladies had been the best experience of his life. He couldn’t be more proud of Davina and Charlie, but them being away hurt like hell. His tremendous love for these two girls was his biggest weakness and not having them with him, unprotected, exposed to the world. Hogwarts could be an amazing place, but it also could be an incredibly dangerous place. Sometimes Remus wished, he and Sirius could have handed their daughters the Map, but they chose not to, fearing what mischief Davina might come up with. Remus would never admit it, but he even missed that damned furball Missy.

“Come back to bed,“ a soft, hoarse voice sounded from the kitchen. Remus didn’t look. He knew that Sirius was wearing boxershorts only, the tattoos on his chest exposed, his long curly hair messy, his face sleepy, eyelids heavy.

“You know I can’t sleep anyways,“ Remus responded, eyes focused on his stars. He could hear Sirius moving and afterwards he felt him lifting himself up on the windowsill, next to Remus. He slid under the blanket, hugging Remus from behind, his chin resting on Remus’ shoulder. Remus smiled, his husband’s warmth offering him comfort and he relaxed back into his hug, Sirius’ chest providing him safety. 

“What do you think they’re doing right now?“ Sirius asked, before softly placing his lips on Remus’ neck.

“It’s like 4 am, Sirius,“ Remus answered, letting out a small sigh, “They’re probably sleeping.“

But he wasn’t too sure of that. In her last letter, Charlie hinted that she has had some sleeping troubles lately, but she didn’t say why. In her last letter, Davina hinted that she was worried about her sister and that Charlie might have some problems she didn’t want to talk to Davina about. That worried Remus. It was unusual for the girls not to talk and he definitely planned on asking Charlie what was going on.

“And you should be too,“ Sirius mumbled, his warm breath tickling Remus, but before he could push Sirius away, his lips were on Remus’ neck again and those lips were too good to push him away. He let Sirius kiss his neck for a little longer before he turned around, begging for a real kiss. As always, Sirius gave him what he wanted.

“I love you,“ Remus whispered against Sirius’ lips, wanting to drown in his husbands’ arms.

Sirius smiled. “I know,“ he answered, “I love you too.“

They kept on kissing for a few minutes, deepening their kisses, letting themselves get lost in the moment and the heat. When Remus let out a small moan, one of those Sirius loved to swallow up, one of those Sirius loved to get out of Remus.

“Sex on the windowsill?“ Sirius asked, only half joking, “Never done that before.“

Remus rolled his eyes. “I’m not suicidal, yet. Give me a few more years of marriage with you and one of the girls’ first relationship and ask me again.“

“Dying while having sex sounds like the best way of dying,“ Sirius shot back, a huge grin on his face.

“Idiot,“ Remus answered, kissed Sirius and then jumped off of the windowsill, letting the blanket drop before letting his boxershorts drop and leaving for the bedroom. He knew, Sirius would follow him immediately and he did.

Miles away in one of the Slytherin bedrooms, Davina Lupin-Black couldn’t sleep. This was not unusual for her. Even as a baby Davina had always been a light sleeper, barely sleeping at all during the day and only a few hours during the night. She had never told her dads about her sleeplessness, she just accepted it as something unavoidable. Luckily, her cat liked to sleep during the day, when Davina was busy with classes and homework and she kept her company during her sleepless nights. Right now, Missy was curled up on Davina’s lap, quietly purring. The feeling of her cat’s fur under her fingers usually calmed Davina down, but something kept her restless. She always tried to remain as calm as she could, not wanting to wake up Pansy, but this night was particularly bad. She missed her parents and she missed her home. It was surprising, Davina usually never felt homesick and the feeling frustrated her.

Only a few meters away in the Ravenclaw Tower, Charlotte Lupin-Black laid awake in her bed. She turned around in her bed over and over again, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position, knowing she would never find one, not without her sister, not without her parents sleeping in the next room. It would take some time for her to completely adjust, she knew that. Leaving home, such a loving, warm and safe home, was meant to be difficult. Technically, Charlie knew she hadn’t left her home, she could return every holiday, she would return every holiday, but she would spend her next seven years here at Hogwarts. Seven years were a long time and Charlie feared she would spend these years being lonely. There was a difference between being alone and being lonely. Being alone was something Charlie did not mind at all, she liked the quiet, she liked some private time, but being lonely was something that hurt. Something, that sometimes took Charlie’s breath away.

At some point, Davina finally got up and walked to what one would call a window, allowing her to look at what was going on underwater. This night, Davina wished she could see the stars, because then she would see her father’s lucky stars. Her Paps didn’t know that the daughters knew about it. Their Dad had told them one night, when their Paps was in a gloomy mood and wouldn’t stop looking at the stars. Davina crossed her arms and sighed. She missed her fathers and she missed her home. But everything would turn out fine. She would get used to everything here. Eventually. With another sigh she sent away three little sparks, one might even say three tiny stars.

When the three little sparks arrived at Charlie’s dorm, a beautiful smile appeared on her face. She knew these sparks, these stars. And she knew, she would never be completely alone. Her sister would always be there for her, no matter what. Charlie wondered, how she could have ever doubted that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talking about "many chapters during our holidays", well we kind of failed that one, didn't we? Charlie is currently quite busy with another project and I'm working on getting my driving license so despite having a lot of free time, we are pretty busy. I hope you can forgive us that. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, leave some comments and Kudos!


	8. If you wanna start a fight, you better throw the first punch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama, drama and, oh, look, more drama. 
> 
> or
> 
> the one in which everything kind of goes to hell

Winter came slowly the sister’s first year. They didn’t have snow until mid-December and even after that it wasn’t much, the temperature never dropping below 9 degrees. Still, Hagrid had already decorated the Great Hall fit for Christmas by the 1st of December. Huge Christmas trees graced the corners of the hall decorated with tinsel and candles and baubles and the corridors of the castle were full of Christmas decoration, too.

To say that Charlie loved it would have been an understatement. 

The younger of the Lupin-Black sisters loved Christmas more than anything. She loved the moments together with her family and the atmosphere in their house when she and her Dad had baked cookies with way more cinnamon than the recipe actually called for or when they would sit at the piano and play Christmas songs and sing together. Before Charlie had really known what magic was, that had been her Christmas spell. 

Christmas holidays were only two weeks away and of course that was when everything went downhill. 

It all began with a simple, stupid comment. And in the end it had been Charlie’s own fault anyway. 

She had been reading her favourite book while walking down one of the corridors on her way down to the Great Hall, carrying another book between her arm and waist, quietly humming a random melody that had gotten stuck in her head. So, no, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking and therefore it was no surprise she bumped right into an older looking Slytherin who had been paying equally much attention to where he was going. Charlie stumbled backwards and only just kept herself from falling to the ground and dropping her books, freezing when she saw the look on the Slytherin’s face. 

“Don’t you have eyes in your dumb head or are you just too stupid to walk, Lupin-Black?” the Slytherin shot at her and Charlie closed her eyes for a second not even noticing the fact that he knew her surname before she opened them and blankly stared past the Slytherin before continuing to walk into her previous direction. Or at least that had been her plan had the Slytherin not grabbed her arm and pulled her back, causing her to drop the two books. 

“I’m talking to you,” he spat and Charlie just looked at him for a second before she crouched down and picked up her books again. 

“And I’m not really interested in talking to you,” she responded quietly not looking at him anymore. She was determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear which was probably clearly visible in her eyes. Charlie had a problem with people who were taller and stronger than her and this Slytherin definitely was both of that. 

“What are you saying, Freak?” he asked but Charlie remained stoic. 

“Let me go,” she said, her voice still quiet and steady even though she was shaking inside. This was one of the moments where she could really use her sister by her side. 

“I don’t think you understand in what kind of a position you are at the moment, midget. You don’t get to tell me what I should do. Or did your faggot parents never taught you how to have respect?” 

“Shut up!” Charlie surprised herself by yelling at him and apparently she also surprised the Slytherin because he blinked in shock and slightly loosened her grip on Charlie’s arm so that she could rip it away and take a few steps away from him. “Don’t talk about my parents like that!” 

The Slytherin looked at her with disgust in his eyes. “Or what else? Are you gonna run back to your big sister, let her protect you? Hide behind your faggot parents? What are you gonna do, Freak?” he asked challengingly. Charlie stared at him for a moment. Then she just shook her head and was just about to say something when she heard another voice from the end of the corridor. Charlie sighed, part out of relief, part out of exasperation. Davina’s timing was – as usual – right on point. 

And Davina was fuming. 

She had only heard the last few words the Slytherin had said to her sister and they and the resigned look on her sister’s face had her blood boiling with fury within a second. She recognised the Slytherin as a second year, some guy named Rosier and she couldn’t hold back a shouted “Leave her alone!” when she saw the way he looked at her sister. 

Charlie turned her head when she heard her sister’s voice and even from the distance Davina could see her sigh before she made her way over to her older sister. Davina walked towards her and checked her over for any obvious injury or any sign of pain she could possibly be in. As soon as she came to the conclusion that her sister was fine for the time being Davina focused on Rosier who looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Charlie reached out for her sister, quietly saying her name but Davina ignored it and walked past her and stopped in front of the other Slytherin. 

“Who do you think you are, arsehole?” she spat, arms akimbo. Rosier laughed loudly. 

“Who do I think I am? You should ask yourself, midget. Or your freak sister. Or even better: your faggot parents who put you two in this world,” he sneered and it seemed like he wanted to say something else but he never got to because before that he was cut off by Davina’s fist colliding with his face. 

 

Sirius couldn’t breathe. He was gasping for air, tears were streaming down his face and his chest hurt horribly. He was pretty sure his face was bright red by this time and he couldn’t get it under control. Remus just stared at his husband disapprovingly. 

“Sirius, this is serious. Could you please stop laughing and behave like a responsible parent for once?” he asked and sighed exasperated when his first sentence sent his husband into another laughing fit. 

“My daughter is a genius!” he gasped in between laughs and curled up on the floor holding his stomach, “A bloody genius, Remus! Punching an older guy right during first year. Oh my god, I raised her so fricking well!” Pride was evident in Sirius’ voice when he praised his oldest daughter, tears still running down his cheeks and Remus rolled his eyes but he couldn’t stop the smile creeping onto his face. 

They had received a letter from Charlie just a day after Davina had punched Rosier in the face who then had to be brought to the hospital wing. Charlie hadn’t gone into detail about why her sister had punched the older Slytherin and Remus was curious and a little bit afraid of learning the truth. But for now he needed to deal with his husband and how to react to their daughter’s letter and Sirius lying on the ground and acting like a five-year-old did not help. 

“Sirius, could you please get up from the ground? We need to deal with this. Preferably now,” Remus practically begged, looking down at his husband with a frown. Sirius raked a hand through his hair and chuckled before lazily lifting one hand for Remus to pull him up, a grin on his face. Remus just sighed and took Sirius hands, mentally already prepared to be pulled down onto his husbands’ chest. Remus let out a quiet chuckle as soon as he was rested on top of his husband before he lifted himself onto his elbows and looked at Sirius. 

Sirius slowly circled his arms around Remus’ waist and traced patterns on his back. “Come on, Rem, you’ve got to admit that what she did was great. I mean, hell, how many people have I punched my first years?” Sirius sounded way too proud for Remus’ liking but he couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto his face.  
“Well, I mean she does take a lot after you, you know,” he murmured before resting his head on Sirius’ chest, “I’m just glad that Charlie is more responsible. I don’t even want to know what would happen if Davina were alone.” Remus sighed. He knew that neither of their daughters would be okay on their own. Davina was impulsive and not afraid to speak her mind, not afraid to speak out for what she believed in and defend it if necessary. Charlie could sometimes be her exact opposite. Sure, she, too, would defend the things she believed in and she had strong opinions that she always felt the need to share. But as soon as it came to herself, she seemed like she didn’t care. Charlie needed her sister to defend her and prove her worth to her as much as Davina needed Charlie to reign her in sometimes and hold her back, when her impulsiveness got the best of her. 

Remus had the suspicion that that was exactly what had happened. 

 

“That was stupid,” Charlie growled, wrapping the bandage around her sister’s knuckles a bit tighter than absolutely necessary. Davina winced slightly and then sighed while she looked at how Charlie secured the bandage and then fell back into her chair with her arms crossed over her chest. 

They were sitting in their spot in the library, Charlie facing the huge window, her sister opposite to her. Davina was sporting a dark bruise on her right cheekbone where Rosier had hit her and her knuckles were red and scraped. Luckily, Rosier looked worse than her. Charlie had stupefied the older Slytherin as soon as he had dared to lay hand on her sister and then informed Professor McGonagall. The older woman might be stern but she had a soft spot for the two girls and if only for the fact that she had been overly fond of their fathers. Rosier had been taking to the hospital wing where Charlie had also taken her sister to get her knuckles and cheek checked and bandaged. 

Now they were sitting in their spot, Charlie re-wrapping Davina’s hand - because her sister had of course gone about and accidentally ripped off the bandage - and staring at her older sister accusingly. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” Charlie asked, gesticulating wildly and Davina just stared at her sister. 

“Didn’t you hear what he was saying, Charlie? What he said about Dad and Paps? About us?” Davina asked in disbelief. She didn’t get her sister. How could she just ignore the insults that arsehole had thrown at her? At their family? “Someone had to do something!” 

Now it was her sister who stared at her. “I did hear what he was saying. I was the one he was saying it to, if I remember correctly! And don’t you dare assume that I would not defend Dad and Paps or you because I did! I just don’t go around and just punch people because of it,” she hissed, anger coursing through her veins. Davina laughed a short, humourless laugh. 

“Because you just let people walk all over you, Charlie! That’s what you’ve always done. You just let people insult you and do nothing against it and that’s driving me crazy! You always stand to the side and let other people fight your battles like a goddamn coward! And I’m sick of it! For once in your life can’t you just take a stand and stand up for yourself? Is that so goddamn hard?” she snarled and just a second later she felt horrible for it when she saw the blood drain from her sister’s face. “Charlie,” Davina tried immediately and reached across the table for her sister’s hand and winced when Charlie flinched away and jumped up from her chair as if she’d been burned. For a second it seemed like she didn’t know what to say, her hands balled to fists at her sides and her mouth slightly opened. When she finally spoke her voice sounded devoid of all emotions and for Davina that was a million times worse than being screamed at. 

“I never wanted you to fight my battles,” was all Charlie said, her green eyes ice cold, before she took a step back. 

“I know, Charlie, you know I didn’t mean it, you know-,” but Charlie had already turned around and quickly made her way towards the exit of the library. The last thing Davina could see was how her sister lifted her hand and wiped across her face, before she rested her own face in her hands and clenched her eyes shut. 

Nothing in this world hurt more than seeing her sister walk away from her like this. Like she had just punched her right in the face with her words. And Davina felt horrible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehm, yeah. I'm not even really sure what this is supposed to be because I wrote it at like 2 am last night while being high on pain killers. I hope it makes at least a bit sense and you enjoyed it nevertheless.


	9. Family.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes family is all you need.

Two weeks. 

The sisters didn’t talk to each other for two weeks. 

Charlie stopped talking whenever her sister entered the same room that she was in, lowering her head and paying silent attention to what was happening in the front. She couldn’t bear to look at her sister, her chest pulling painfully every time someone as much as mentioned her name, almost sending her into a full blown panic attack. Charlie regretted what she had done but she was hurt and she could be too stubborn and proud for her own good. Normally she wouldn’t care about anyone calling her a coward, normally she would just ignore it, add it to the pile of names people had called her and would continue to call her. But this had been her sister. Her sister, who had taken her biggest weakness and exploited it and even if Charlie would never really admit it, that had scared her more than anything. Since Charlie could think she and Davina had been together, through everything and of course they had their fair share of fights but there had never been anything they couldn’t work through. Charlie would never admit it but if she was afraid of one thing in this world then it was of losing her sister. 

Charlie needed Davina. But Davina also needed her sister. 

And if Charlie was miserable then that was no comparison to what her sister was going through. 

Davina didn’t know what to do anymore. She had tried everything from attempting to talk to Charlie to talking to her friends to apologise and make things go back to the way they were. She knew she had hurt her sister, of course she knew that, she had grown up with her after all. And she knew that Charlie’s way of reacting to being hurt was hurting the other person back. And Charlie knew that not talking to her would kill Davina. She had tried to talk to her sister but Charlie had immediately closed down. Her answers were short and lacking any emotion and she always found an excuse to leave the room anytime Davina tried to talk to her. 

It had been two weeks. 

Davina didn’t think she could take this silent treatment any longer. 

She hadn’t told her parents anything because she knew they would try to interfere and Davina just felt like it was something between the sisters. She didn’t know if Charlie had told them anything but she didn’t think so. She knew her sister and if there was something she knew for sure it was that Charlie would never ask for help even if it was obvious that she needed it. 

And that was probably exactly Charlie’s problem. 

It was the first day of Christmas holidays and both sisters were on the Hogwarts Express on the ride home. 

Not sitting next to Davina felt wrong to Charlie and she tried her hardest to just push that feeling down and ignore the fact that her sister was only a few metres away but still seemed unreachable. Charlie was sharing a compartment with Isobel who sat opposite to her reading a book while Charlie sat curled up in her seat staring out of the window. The landscape outside was blurring together into a white blinding mass and she sighed. For all her love of Christmas she really, really couldn’t stand snow and the cold. 

“Charlotte?” Isobel suddenly asked. Charlie looked up abruptly and looked at her friend. 

“Hm?”

Isobel looked a bit uncomfortable, fiddling with the book in her hands before she put it aside and got up to sit down next to Charlie. “I know something’s up with your sister and I don’t know what exactly it is but it’s not good for you,” she said calmly without any accusation in her voice and Charlie looked at her dumbfounded for a second. She had just opened her mouth to say something but Isobel just cut her of: “I don’t care what it is about, really. Just promise me to get things right with her over the holidays. I don’t like seeing you like this. It doesn’t fit you.” Isobel gave her a bright encouraging smile before she returned to her old seat and picked up her book again. Charlie just continued to stare. 

She then shook her head curtly and turned back to watching the landscape. It wasn’t much later, that the Hogwarts Express arrived on Platform 9 ¾. Charlie had dreaded this moment from the second she had entered the train because she knew that the confrontation with her sister was nearing because even though their parents were the best parents anyone could wish for, they would still pry and try to make them talk and make up. Charlie heaved a sigh when she pulled her suitcase out of the luggage compartment. 

Once they had left the train, Isobel stopped Charlie and pulled her in for a gentle hug. “Promise me, you’ll make that right. Fighting isn’t good for the two of you,” Isobel gave her friend another warm smile before she waved her goodbye and turned around to look for her family. Charlie was left standing alone in front of the train and her chest pulled painfully when she thought about having to talk to her sister. God, how she hated confrontations. 

Davina wasn’t better off. She had shared a compartment with Emily and Pansy who were both going home for the holidays and who had tried their hardest to engage Davina in a conversation to take her mind off of the inevitable awkward situation that home would be for her. 

Now Davina stood next to her parents after having greeted them maybe a bit more enthusiastic than was normal for her. She had just missed the warm embraces and the feeling of safety and home that her parents gave her. Especially during the last two weeks. Sirius had one arm slung around Remus’ waist and held Davina’s suitcase with the other, while they were waiting for Charlie to join them. She did so a few minutes later and briefly greeted her parents never making eye contact with her sister. Davina shrunk a little more into herself. 

The car ride home was silent and awkward. Nobody said a word, Charlie only stared out of the window, while Davina was staring at her hands, their parents only sharing a confused look now and then. As soon as they arrived at their house and Remus had opened the door, Charlie bolted through it and up into her room, her dog, Ginger, directly behind her. Almost immediately, Remus and Sirius turned to look at their older daughter with raised eyebrows but Davina only swallowed hard and shook her head, a silent plea for her fathers not to ask questions. They shared another look. 

“I’m gonna go talk to her,” Remus murmured and squeezed Sirius’ hand before he made his way upstairs. Sirius sighed quietly and carried the girls’ suitcases into the living room before he sat down on the couch and motioned for Davina to take a seat next to him. Without hesitation, Davina climbed onto the sofa and let her Paps pull her into his side. She closed her eyes and inhaled the distinct smell of home, cuddling up closer to him. 

“What’s going on with the two of you, princess?” Sirius asked softly, concern clearly audible in his voice, “Did something happen? Does this have to do with you punching that Slytherin?” Davina sighed and nodded. “I messed up, Paps. I completely messed everything up.” She didn’t want to tell her Paps everything; she wanted to sort this out on her own but when Sirius looked at her with so much worry written all over his face she broke. The words practically flooded out of her mouth and she told him about their fight and what she had called her sister and saying it again made it seem even worse. She knew her sister’s issues best and still she had used them to hurt her. She felt terrible. 

Without noticing it Davina had started to cry. Hot tears were running down her tears and then Sirius enveloped her in a tight hug, pressing her against his chest, soothingly stroking his hand through her hair. Davina tightly gripped her Paps’ jumper in her hands, crying into the fabric, her whole body was shaking with the force of her sobs. She hadn’t realised how much she had missed her home’s comfort, her Paps’ comfort. 

Sirius felt helpless. His little princess was hurting and all he could do was hold her in his arms and hope that Remus could talk to their daughter so they could mend this whole mess. He knew that Davina put up a tough act most of the time but he also knew that fighting with her sister was breaking her heart. Sirius could just hope that Remus would be able to talk to Charlie. 

Remus had not that much luck. 

He was sitting outside of her daughter’s room, trying to talk to her but she had locked her door and didn’t answer and Remus was growing more and more worried. Technically he could just open the door with magic but if there was one thing he had promised himself then it was that he would never invade his daughters’ privacy, no matter the circumstances. Still, this was different. 

“Charlie, please, open the door and let me in. Or talk to me at least. I just want to know what’s wrong,” he tried again but the other side of the door stayed silent. Remus sighed, then pulled out his wand. With a swift flick he unlocked his daughter’s door and immediately felt guilty but only until he saw his daughter lying on her bed, Ginger pressed close to her chest, eyes red and cheeks tear stained, her hands clinging on to Ginger’s fur. Remus’ heart broke. 

“Oh, Charlie,” he whispered and made his way over to his daughter’s bed where he sat down directly next to her. Charlie opened her eyes and blinked before she caught a glimpse of her father and just turned around and curled up into a little ball. Remus sighed. He knew this situation. They had enough fights so that he knew how Charlie dealt with them and he could only try and do his best to comfort her. 

“Hey, little one. Look at me, okay?” Remus asked tentatively but Charlie just remained in her position her face buried in her knees. Remus slowly moved his hand to rest it on top of her arm, careful not to startle her. “Come on, Charlie. Talk to me. Or we don’t have to talk, if you don’t want to. Just … just let me help, alright?”  
Charlie clenched her eyes shut for a second before she rubbed the back of her hand across her face. Then she turned her face to her Dad and Remus’ heart almost broke again when he saw the raw emotion displayed on his daughter’s face. 

“Dad?” she whispered hoarsely, her voice thick with tears, “I messed up. I really messed up and now ‘Vina hates me and Paps’ gonna hate me and you’re gonna hate me and I didn’t mean to make it such a mess and I’m so sorry, Dad, I’m so sorry, I never wanted to hurt ‘Vina like this, I don’t wanna lose her and I hurt you and I never wanted to hurt you and now you’re gonna make me leave because I was always just a burden but please don’t make me leave, please don’t hate me, please let me stay here, I don’t wanna lose you, I’m so sorry, Dad, I’m so sorry, please-“ 

Remus couldn’t think anymore and all he could do was stare at his daughter in shock. He had known that Charlie had issues with being abandoned but he had always thought that they had worked through them together. But as he looked at his daughter now, how desperate and hopeless she sounded, he felt like he had completely failed her. 

Without another word, Remus gathered her up in his arms and pulled her close to his chest, the girl only a sobbing mess, not able to form any coherent sentences anymore. Ginger laid her muzzle on top of Charlie’s shaking shoulder while Remus buried his face in his daughter’s hair. 

“Listen to me, Charlie,” he whispered, his own voice tight and choked, “We love you. Sirius, I and most of all Davina love you and we would never send you away. You and your sister, you’re the best thing that ever happened to us and we could never hate you, no matter what. I don’t know what happened between you and Davina but she would never hate you. We all love you unconditionally, you could never do anything that would make us love you less. Never doubt that.” Remus would have continued, would have said more but just then Charlie’s bedroom door creaked and he lifted his head to see his husband and older daughter stand in the door. Davina only took one look at her sister before she ran towards her and threw her arms around the shaking girl. 

Remus slightly loosened his hold on Charlie and almost immediately the younger girl clung to her sister, sobbing an apology and Davina just held her tightly, nodding and apologising once again. Davina couldn’t hold back tears herself. Sirius eventually sat down on the other side of his family and put his arms around the two girls, looking at Remus who scooted a bit closer to him, pressing a kiss to Sirius’ temple. 

Charlie had tightly gripped Davina’s jumper in her hands, whispering apology over apology until Davina pressed a kiss to her head. “Everything’s fine, Charlie,” she whispered reassuringly, “It’s fine.” Charlie just shook her head. 

“I don’t want to lose you, ‘Vina,” she choked out and Davina just pulled her closer to her chest. 

“You will never lose me. Nothing will ever really separate us, okay?” she said solemnly and Charlie nodded. 

“Okay.” 

Sirius and Remus shared a quick look before they disentangled themselves from their daughters who stayed in their tight embrace, Ginger and Missy next to them in a pile of bodies, and got up to leave the room. 

Remus went downstairs without saying anything and sat down on the sofa. Sirius sat down next to him, looked at his husband. Remus only shook his head and when he looked at Sirius his eyes were full of a kind of emotion Sirius couldn’t quite place. 

“We failed, Sirius. We failed our daughters. Aren’t we supposed to make them feel safe and protected? Aren’t we supposed to protect them? Because we didn’t. Charlie practically begged me to not send her away and I don’t want to know what Davina might not be telling us. We failed them and I can’t live with that knowledge,” he breathed and he buried his face in his hands. Sirius just stared at him. 

“We did not fail them, Remus,” he eventually whispered and put one arm around his husband’s shoulders to pull him close, “We love them and all we can do is try to show them that we do so as often as possible. We can be there for them. And we can support them. But we can’t force them to feel a certain way or tell us whatever it is they feel. All we can do is be there for them. And then hope that that can be enough. We’ll get through this. Together. As a family.” 

Remus swallowed hard before he lifted his head from Sirius’ shoulder. 

And when their daughters crawled into their beds that night and curled up between the two of them, still holding each other tightly, Sirius and Remus held them close and didn’t let them go until the next morning. 

And suddenly winter didn’t feel so cold anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was painful to write. Like, really painful. I hope you didn't suffer too much with them but this chapter was also kind of necessary for Charlie's character which is why it was kinda centered around her. I hope nobody minds.


	10. Hey moon, don't you go down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were going to be alright.

Charlie couldn't sleep. She was lying next to her sister between their fathers and stared at the ceiling, her thoughts racing through her head while the rest of her family was blissfully asleep. She was happy to have reconciled with her sister and she believed her family when they said that everything was okay but she still couldn't stop the nagging feeling of guilt that lingered in her gut and didn't seem to go away anytime soon. A quiet sigh escaped her lips before she pushed herself up and climbed over her Dad's form and off the bed. The door to the hallway creaked slightly as she opened it but Charlie ignored it and slipped out of the room. 

She didn't notice how Davina - always a light sleeper - awoke at the creaking sound and searched the room with her eyes for her sister after a few seconds of sleepy confusion. Davina frowned when she couldn't find the younger girl and then quietly and quickly got up as well, careful not to disturb their sleeping parents. 

Charlie made her way downstairs to the living room where Ginger merely lifted her head to acknowledge her presence only to immediately drop it onto the floor again but wagging her tail slightly as Charlie came over to her and kneeled next to her to scratch her ear. Ginger made a content huffing sound and rolled onto her side, nuzzling Charlie's palm with her muzzle but Charlie only smiled softly and got up again to make her way to the large glass doors leading outside into the sizeable garden which was covered in glistening snow. She smiled lightly and opened one of the doors, simultaneously slipping her feet into a pair of loafers that belonged to one of her fathers as they were visibly too big for her feet. In only her pyjamas and the pair of loafers she went out into the snow and went over to one of the big, old trees that framed the garden. 

Back when the sisters were maybe four or five years old and playing outside a lot their Paps and their Uncle James had put up two swings in the biggest tree, each on a strong branch and at the perfect height for the two girls to reach. It was impossible to tell how many afternoons the two had spent on the swings or on the tree in general because of course Missy had had to climb the tree so Davina in her 9-years-old recklessness had followed her and after a moment of hesitation so had Charlie. It had actually been fun to watch their parents search half the house for them until Ginger's barking at the roots of the tree had given them away. It had still been one of the best days in both of their lives. 

Now Charlie made her way over to the one swing that had ever since been hers, the one facing the house, back to the other trees. The wood of the seat was covered in a thick layer of powdery snow which Charlie swept away before sitting down and tightly gripping the rope with her hands. The remaining snow on the wood soaked her pyjama bottoms and the rope bit painfully cold into her palms but when she closed her eyes it almost felt like all the days of the past summers she and Davina had spent in the garden. 

Davina stood in the dark living room, her arms crossed over her chest, watching her sister through the glass doors, a deep furrow between her brows. "Idiotic," she murmured under her breath, while turning around and grabbing a blanket from one of the sofas and another pair of loafers from her Paps, "Absolutely idiotic." Armed with the blanket she opened the door  
and trudged through the snow towards her sister. 

Charlie had closed her eyes, her head resting agains the rope of the swing while she was swinging back and forth slightly, humming under her breath. Her eyes snapped open however when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching and she looked up, spotting her sister. Almost immediately a frown overtook her features and she got up from the swing. 

"Are you out of your mind? Do you know how cold it is? You can't go out into the snow only wearing your pyjamas, my god, Vina, do you want to get sick? This is so-" Charlie began to rant in a loud whisper but was cut off pretty effectively by her sister shoving the blanket in her face, a look of annoyance in her eyes, which were trained on Charlie's own clothes, one eyebrow pointedly raised. Charlie only huffed and took the blanket to tug it around her sister's shoulders. 

"I don't get cold and you know that," she argued before she once again took a seat on her swing. Davina rolled her eyes. 

"Just because you don't feel cold doesn't mean your body itself doesn't get cold and sick," she shot back but trudged over to her swing nonetheless, the blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Charlie glared at her, once again gripping the rope tightly with her hands. Davina swept away the snow and sat down as well. 

They sat in silence for a while, content to be in each other's presence and enjoying the quiet of the garden, only broken by Charlie humming quietly. Davina leant her back against the magically enforced rope and pulled one knee up to her chest, her foot resting on the wood of the seat. The cold night air began to creep through to her and she pulled the blanket tighter around herself. In the end it was Charlie who broke the silence. 

"I'm sorry."

Davina looked up from where she had been studying the fine snow crystals that glistenend in the light of the moon and the tiny lights that were scattered all over the garden. Her sister was still holding on tightly to the rope, her knuckles white and tense and her eyes were focussed on the floor, not meeting her sister's eyes. Davina remained silent, certain that her sister was not finished yet. Knowing her sister, she was right. 

"I'm sorry for the whole fight. I know you didn't mean what you said in a mean way and I know that you must be getting sick of having to fight my battles for me but you don't have to, y'know? You're probably right, I let people walk all over me, I let them say stupid stuff about me and that's fine. Really, I - I don't need you to rescue me. I don't need you to protect me all the time. I know you don't understand the reason why I don't fight back but I - I don't know. It's exhausting. It's easier to just leave it and move on, y'know? Can't we leave it at that? We leave it and move on? Because I'm fine with not fighting back. It's alright with me, really. I just - I don't want to fight over something as stupid as that, okay? We're not the same person, Vina, we don't do everything the same way. And we don't have to do everything together. And that's alright. And I - I guess it's time for us both to accept that. It also hurt that you suddenly didn't have any time for me left because you were busy with your Slytherin friends. But that's alright. I just - I guess I just wasn't expecting things to change so quickly. Even though I should've been expecting it, with us being in different houses. I just felt like I was losing you and you jumping in front of everything that's trying to hurt me just felt like you were forcing yourself to take care of me. And I guess I then just let out all my frustrations on you. And that wasn't fair. And I'm sorry." Charlie took a deep breath as soon as she was finished, her eyes still not meeting Davina's. 

Her sister remained silent for a little longer, looking at Charlie, and slowly a little, fond smile began to make its way onto her face. 

"Hey, Charlie," she whispered and Charlie slowly lifted her head, finally looking at Davina, "I'm sorry as well. I should've noticed that I hurt you. And I can't say that I like watching you not fighting back but if that is what you want I'm not gonna try and protect you as much as I did. But you're still my sister and I love you and I don't wanna see you get hurt, alright?"  
Charlie nodded and Davina's smile widened. 

"But we're fine, okay? You're right, maybe everything just changed too quickly. But come on. We're Lupin-Blacks. If we don't get through this, who else would?" she asked, a mischievous glint visible in her eyes and Charlie chuckled quietly before she nodded again. 

"Okay," she whispered and the sisters fell into silence again. Though this time it only lasted for a few seconds before Davina basically jumped out of the swing. 

"Okay, but seriously, I'm freezing to death. Honestly, how are you not already an icicle by now?" she ground out between her by now clattering teeth and Charlie looked at her for a second, her sister, only a few inches shorter than her, huddled in a thick blanket and glaring at her and she burst out laughing, a warm feeling of content settling in her belly, as she curled up on the swing laughing her lungs out like she hadn't done since the beginning of the school year. 

Davina stared at her sister and looked like she was about to scold her but the sight of her little sister so happy and content only made her grin contently. "I know I'm super funny, Charlie, but I really am freezing," she eventually said and went over to her sister, to pull her out of the swing. Charlie smiled at her, wiping tears off her face, before she got up. Davina slung one arm and thereby the blanket around Charlie as well and together, huddled close together, they made their way back to the house. 

Inside they shook off their fathers' shoes and after Charlie closed the door both girls just cuddled up on the sofa, next to each other, like years back when they would fall asleep after a long day of playing in the mud outside and their Paps would cover them with a blanket, Missy and Ginger curled up around them. It didn't take long for both girls to fall asleep this time either, Davina's arm loosely slung over her sister's waist to keep her from falling from the sofa and Charlie's hand burrowed in Ginger's fur, while Missy had settled in the spot next to the dog. 

And that was the position Remus found them in only half an hour later. He had been woken up by the girls leaving the bedroom and had waited until they came back in to lecture them about going outside in their pyjamas, but when we saw the two of them blissfully asleep he only smiled slightly, conjured a warmer blanket with a flick of his wand and carefully enlarged the sofa so that Missy as well as Ginger had their place on it as well before he returned upstairs to his own bed, a small smile still on his lips. 

They were going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some sister bonding as an excuse for being this very, very late and for all the drama of the last chapters.  
> I really do apologise for being this late but taking my a level exams and trying to also do my normal German abitur at the same time is pretty time consuming. So I cannot promise you anything regarding the next chapters.


	11. all of these are the prettiest things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quidditch and new friendships and beautiful nights.

Christmas Day and New Year came and went and suddenly school started again and the sisters were thrown back into Hogwarts' busy hallways. Davina was extra busy with Quidditch practice and games piling up and her urge to prove herself to the team, while Charlie slowly warmed up to the other Ravenclaws in her grade, getting used to not talking to her sister as much as before. 

But when Davina's first Quidditch game came around, Charlie was the one to cheer the loudest even though it was Ravenclaw the Slytherins were playing against. One of her best friends, Elliot Hastings, who sat next to her, elbowed her in the ribs but Charlie just grinned at him and laughed it off, cheering when her sister caught the quaffle and scored with one well-aimed throw. 

"You know, Charlie, you're actually supposed to cheer for your own team," Elliot yelled over the cheers and laughter from the Slytherins. Charlie turned to look at him and grinned, only cheering louder. He rolled his eyes but gave a polite clap, which only made her laugh louder. 

On Elliot's other side his best friend, Noel Bailinger, jumped up as soon as the Ravenclaws scored and punched up into the air in triumph while letting out a loud shout. Out of the corner of her eye, Charlie could see how Elliot was smiling up at his best friend and she had to grin to herself. His crush on the other boy was too adorable, even though Charlie was a bit wary of Noel Bailinger because the last thing she wanted to see was how he went on and broke Elliot's heart. 

Charlie shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts just in time to see how Davina scored again, just seconds before the Slytherin seeker raised a hand in triumph, tightly holding the Golden Snitch between his fingers and this time she only clapped to not stand out between the other Ravenclaws around her who all groaned in defeat and exasperation. Noel stood completely still and stared at the pitch in what could only be described as utter shock, his one arm still raised before he fell down onto his seat in complete defeat. Charlie took one look at him and the way Elliot patted Noel's shoulder and broke out into quiet snickers before she got up and left them to themselves to find her sister down on the pitch. 

Davina was practically glowing, her long brown hair was tousled from the wind and a broad grin split her face, people were clapping her on the back, congratulating her on her playing. When Charlie approached her with a proud smile on her lips, she was just talking to Oliver Wood, who was looking her with a mixture of awe and confusion, while awkwardly patting her shoulder. Davina stared back with big eyes and a blush on her cheeks that became stronger the more Oliver talked to her. When Oliver turned to leave, Davina took a deep breath and then turned around to find her sister walking up to her and her grin only grew wider. 

"Charlie, oh my god, did you hear that? Oliver Wood told me that he's jealous that I'm not on his team! Oliver Wood! Can you believe that? He said that if I keep training I could play Quidditch professionally one day! Oh my god, I gotta write Uncle James and Paps, they're not gonna believe this, Charlie, this is the best day of my life!" Davina laughed and Charlie grinned broadly before enveloping her sister in a tight hug. 

"You did amazing, the whole game was amazing, I'm so proud of you! Paps and Uncle James are gonna be so jealous they missed your first game, though," she snickered, taking a step back to look at her sister who was still beaming and literally shining. 

"Maybe they can come next time, who knows?" Davina just shrugged, still grinning. She felt like nothing could wipe that grin off her face for the next hours, days or even weeks. She linked her arm with Charlie's and carried the school's broom with her other hand and together they made their way towards the edge of the pitch where Elliot and Noel were waiting for Charlie. 

"Hey, Lupin-Black! You gonna come and mourn with us, or are you gonna abandon us for that Slytherin?" Noel called over to the two of them without any real malice and Charlie nodded with a smile, "Be there in a second!", before turning to her sister, who was smirking. 

"Ouh, Charlie, what's that? Who's your secret suitor who hates on Slytherins?" she asked and slightly bumped her shoulder into her sister's, who rolled her eyes even though a slight blush creeped up her cheeks with no reason. 

"That's Noel. And the other's Elliot. I've told you about them," she responded with a small smile and Davina grin became even broader. 

"Oh, the two you think should totally be together, who would be totally cute together but are to stupid to even consider it?" she whispered so that the two boys in question didn't hear her and Charlie just smiled a bit wider and nodded. 

"Those two, yeah. And they're gonna decapitate me when I don't come up to the common room with them in the next seconds." Charlie gave her sister another quick hug, wrapping her arms around Davina tightly for a second before letting go and grinning. "And you should probably go and shower. You're whiffy!" 

Davina gasped in mock outrage and slapped her sister's shoulder who only laughed and turned around to jog over to Noel and Elliot, while Davina grinned and looked after her sister, as Elliot threw an arm around Charlie's shoulders and the three of them went up the hill towards the castle. Davina stayed behind while the rest of the crowd started to make their way towards the castle as well until only the Quidditch teams were left who now left to take a shower in the dressing room's showers by the side of the pitch. 

Davina took her time, letting the adrenaline wear off. Her shoulders ached from the position she sat in on the broom, her arms ached from throwing the quaffle, her side from the bludger that had grazed her at some point during the game, almost throwing her off her broom, leaving a colourful bruise. But the grin still didn't leave Davina's face at any point while she took her shower, pulled her long hair into a bun and pulled on a pair of comfortable sweats and one of her Paps' too big t-shirts that she had stolen for exactly these moments. 

She went up to the castle with the rest of her team, joking and laughing, bathing in the compliments she received, even from Marcus Flint and when one of the boys threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a half hug, ruffling her hair, she only laughed and pushed him off half-heartedly. She had just won her first game and nothing would ruin this night. 

A few hours later Davina sat on her bed, a piece of parchment on her knees, quill and feather in her hands, writing to her fathers, smile still firmly in place. Pansy was already fast asleep and snoring quietly and when Davina had finished the letter, folded it and put it into an envelop, ready to send it on its way the next morning, and slid under her covers, Missy curling up in the curve of her body, she fell asleep with the smile still on her lips. 

Charlie stayed awake longer, sitting on one of the sofas in the Ravenclaw common room. She was leaning against Elliot, her head resting on his shoulders, while his arm was thrown around her shoulders and they both listened to Noel rant about how much better the Ravenclaw team would be if he would've already been on it that night with identical grins on their faces. 

"And really, that bludger that hit your sister was so badly aimed! It was obvious that she was trying to hit their Keeper and what the hell does she do? She hits one of the Chasers! And not even one who was of any importance in that moment! I don't know how they can let someone like her on the team, she just ruins everything for everone else," Noel went on before falling down onto the arm chair, his hands in his hair, groaning, "I can't wait to finally join the team and show them how Quidditch is actually played." He then looked up and looked at   
Elliot and Charlie with a glint in his eyes that couldn't mean any good. 

"You two are gonna try out as well!" he exclaimed and Charlie raised her eyebrows. 

"You're joking. I don'thave time. I've got enough to do with all my classes and my music as it is. Thanks, but no thanks. I'm out. But Elliot here surely won't say no to this, aren't I right?" she grinned and looked up at the boy next to her, whose eyes had widened during her last sentence and who now stumbled over the words he was trying to say. But Noel didn't even let him get that far. 

"Perfect! You're gonna get on the team, Elliot, you'd be a great Keeper! And we can train together and get you in shape and then it's not gonna be a problem!" he exclaimed excitedly and Charlie chuckled, resting her head against Elliot's shoulder again while she listened to the two friends' banter which she had gotten used to since the very beginning of their friendship. 

Since Lisa and Isobel had started to spend more time with a few Gryffindor girls whom Charlie couldn't stand, she had spent a lot of time in empty classrooms with her guitar and quietly singing to herself until one day Elliot had heard and just joined her, singing along until somehow they had started to also play the piano together and sometimes just spent long evenings up on the astronomy tower singing or talking. Somehow Noel had joined them after some time and even though Charlie was still not sure what to make of him, the three of them had become friends. 

And knowing of Elliot's immense crush on Noel it wasn't weird for the two of them to sit next to each other with one's head resting on the other's shoulder, hug or hold hands during the day, just like now. The only person who found it a bit weird was Noel but he had gotten used to it fairly quickly. 

Charlie smiled and closed her eyes. It was a beautiful night.


	12. Or should I walk by again?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sisters start their fifth year at Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: There are mentions of child abuse, nothing graphic, but it's talked about.

And just like that the sisters' first year went by and they went home for the summer holidays. Suddenly everything felt like it had before Hogwarts, Davina and Charlie spending all day together and with their fathers. And before they even noticed it, school started again and the sisters went back to Hogwarts. 

Charlie spent a lot of her time with Noel and Elliot, she cheered with Elliot when Noel played his first Quidditch game and she sat with them and hugged Elliot tightly whenever he got a hate-filled letter from his mother. They did their homework together and studied for their tests and Charlie would listen to Elliot when he would swoon about Noel. 

Davina made good use of her time, studying for her lessons, training for the next Quidditch season and spending time with Pansy and Emily. Emily still talked about Draco Malfoy but it was becoming less and less over their second year until she then started to talk about a third year Ravenclaw whom she thought was even prettier than Malfoy. Pansy remained her old, confident self and she continued to roll her eyes whenever Emily started to talk about her latest crush again. 

The sisters' letters to their fathers became less and less over the year but never stopped because even though Hogwarts had become something close to a second home, they still missed their parents. 

And like that their third and fourth year went by as well. The Triwizard Tournament went by and Cedric Diggory won for Hogwarts, Harry had a tremendous crush on Cedric's girlfriend, Cho, and Elliot continued to pine after Noel. Charlie was endlessly amused by that. Emily had managed to go on a date with the older Ravenclaw she had a crush on for a year shortly before the summer holidays of their fourth year and Davina and Pansy were curious to see how that had turned out over the summer. 

So the sisters went back to school to face their fifth year. Sirius and Remus took them to King's Cross alongside James and Lily who took Harry there. Charlie hugged her fathers quickly and waved a temporary goodbye to her sister before she went to find her two best friends who were already sitting in their usual compartment, saving one seat for the younger girl. 

Davina took her time saying her goodbyes because even though she didn't really feel homesick, she still couldn't stand the feeling of just running off without having said goodbye properly. Missy was sitting on top of Davina's suitcase, observing the people around them with a lazy stare, while Davina hugged her fathers and promised them to write a letter as soon as she arrived. Then she made her way over to the train to find Pansy and Emily and their compartment. 

When Charlie finally found Noel and Elliot, she couldn't help but smile at the familiar scene that she was greeted with: Both boys were sitting on one of the benched, Elliot's back leaning against the wall, his legs resting on Noel's lap, while Noel was telling some story involving Quidditch. Noel was gesticulating wildly and Elliot wore the small, fond smile he reservered solely for Noel. For a second Charlie just stood outside and watched the two of them, still amazed that they had allowed her into their friendship and made her feel at home. With a small smile, she knocked at the compartment's door, before sliding it open. 

"Hey, if that isn't everyone's favourite Lupin-Black sister!" Noel exclaimed with a grin, as soon as he saw her and Charlie chuckled before he enveloped her in a tight hug. 

"It's nice to see you, too, Bailinger," she hugged him back before turning to the younger boy and smiling a bit brighter than before. Elliot already stood and pulled her into a hug as soon as Noel let her go. 

"Hey there, Charlie. You had a good summer?" 

Charlie nodded at his question before she looked at her best friend a bit more closely, taking in the dark circles under his eyes and the hollow look of his cheeks with growing concern. 

"Yeah, I did. I probably don't even have to ask about yours though, right?" she asked with a frown and Elliot just shrugged and gave her the lop sided smile she had come to adore over the last few years. 

"It's okay," he only said and Charlie groaned quietly, while Noel rolled his eyes. 

"You know, we both know the truth, Elliot. There's no need to lie to us anymore," Noel said in exasperation but Elliot just shrugged a second time. Charlie looked at him a bit longer before she shared a quick look with Noel. In silence they agreed to look after their friend a bit better this year. 

"Alright, so what did you do during the holidays, Bailinger?" Charlie changed the topic and then contently watched how a bit of the tension left Elliot's frame as they both listened to Noel's story of how he and his siblings had almost blown up their family's kitchen. 

 

A few compartments away Davina sat next to Pansy, leaning against the window while she listened to Emily complaining about the Ravenclaw she had had a date with before the holidays. Apparently said Ravenclaw wasn't capable of staying in touch over a few weeks because Emily hadn't received a single letter from her and hadn't even been regarded with a single look at the platform earlier that day. 

Davina couldn't help but grin at her friend's antics. It wasn't anything new to her and Pansy to listen to Emily lionise or complain about her latest crush. Pansy threw a quick glance over to Davina and they both rolled their eyes fondly. 

"Hey, Emily, wouldn't this other Ravenclaw be someone for you? I heard he's the new Quidditch captain of their team and he's quite hot actually. What's his name again? Noah or something like that?" Pansy threw in the second Emily stopped talking to take a breath. Emily frowned. 

"The black-haired one?" she asked thoughtfully and then looked at Davina, "Isn't he always walking around with your sister and her boyfriend?" 

Davina couldn't help but laugh at that comment. The thought of Elliot and Charlie being a couple was so absurd, it was hilarious. 

"He's not her boyfriend, they're just friends. And the other guy's name is Noel and yes, he's also one of my sister's friends," she responded while pulling her legs up onto the seat next to her, wrapping her arms around her shins, "His name is Noel Bailinger, as far as I know, and he's the beater of their Quidditch team." 

Emily waved that bit of information away like an annoying insect. 

"I don't give a flying fuck, which position he plays. How old is he? Oh, well, nevermind, he's in our year, right? That'll do. Do you think you could talk to your sister about him and me?" she asked with a hopeful glance in her eyes and Davina rolled her eyes. 

"Come on, Emily. You could just talk to him yourself, you know? He's not some alien species. He's just a regular Ravenclaw."

"Yeah, but what if he's not interested in me?" 

Davina raised an eyebrow. "Then you forget him and move on. It's really not that hard, now is it?" 

Emily looked like she was about to say something but just in that moment, Noel Bailinger walked past their compartment, still in his jeans and t-shirt and a smirk planted itself on Emily's face, while she got up and straightened her blouse. 

"You know what, Vina? Maybe you're right."

Davina just rolled her eyes, while Pansy laughed quietly. 

 

As soon as Noel had left the compartment, Charlie had taken his place and leaned against Elliot, her head resting on his shoulder, while he wrapped one arm around her and took her hand into his. His other hand played with a strand of her auburn hair. In moments like these she totally got why people mistook them for a couple so often. They were constantly holding hands and cuddling. But she also knew that neither she nor Elliot would ever see anything else in each other than a best friend. 

"You know, maybe you could just move in with us," Charlie murmured after a few minutes of silence, "I don't think any of my family would really mind. Paps would definitely get it and Dad probably, too. And I could totally convince Vina. You don't have to go back to your family." 

Elliot sighed and rested his head against Charlie's. 

"I know and I really, really appreciate the offer but I've got to think of Malia as well. And I can't just - you know - leave. They're still my family. I just feel like that maybe somewhere deep down that should still mean something. But I don't know. I don't really know what to think anymore," he exhaled deeply and then shook his head. 

Charlie looked at him with concern written clearly across her face. "I know that they are your family, but, Elly, your grandfather beat you. Your mother cursed you, for god's sake. You can't expect me to just be fine with that. Your my best friend and I love you and I just want you to be safe, okay?" 

Her friend managed a small smile and nodded. 

"I know. And you're the best, really. If I ever need a place to stay, maybe I'll come back to that, okay?" he said and Charlie nodded even though they both knew, he would never take her up on that offer. They fell back into comfortable silence, Charlie quietly humming a melody that was stuck in her head, Elliot still playing with strands of her hair, until Charlie eventually fell asleep. 

They still sat like that, Charlie sleeping peacefully, Elliot watching the scenery outside go by when Noel returned, a faint blush on his cheeks, not meeting Elliot's eyes. Elliot simply ignored it. 

 

Davina looked up when Emily came back into their compartment with a triumphant grin on her lips. 

"Guess who just got a date for the first Hogsmeade trip this year," she exclaimed while she fell back onto her seat. Pansy didn't even look up to respond but just continued to examine her finger nails that were painted in a dark green. 

"Probably that black-haired Ravenclaw beater," she said uninterestedly. Emily was even to ecstatic to react to her friend's lack of interest. 

"Right! With me. We're going to meet at the Three Broomsticks and then we'll just see where the day takes us. It's gonna be great!" she sighed. 

Davina frowned slightly at the mention of Hogsmeade. A far as she knew, Charlie, Noel and Elliot had plans for the first trip and if she'd understood her sister correctly, then Elliot and Noel had plans on their own. Well, that did promise to turn out interesting. 

 

A few hours later the Hogwarts Express arrived at the station in Hogsmeade. Charlie got off the train with Elliot and Noel and somehow they ended up in one carriage with Emily, Pansy and Davina. The sisters shared a small smile. It was just another year.


	13. what a day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a Quidditch game and dramatic side stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really not sure what to think about this chapter, but there it is. Enjoy.

‘My dear old men,

Yes, I’ll be calling you that from now on. Get over it, Paps, you’re not twenty one anymore. Fifth year has started off well for both Charlie and me. Our classes are alright. Missy tried to eat a classmate’s rat, it was hilarious.  
Oh and you won’t believe this. Stupid Graham Montague was named captain -not me! I believe it is merely because I am a girl, he is in no way more competent than I am. But I will show everyone that the decision was stupid and that I am way better than he is.  
Talking about Quidditch, our first game will be against Ravenclaw. I am really looking forward to kicking their asses. Charlie has this one friend, Noel, and he’s their new captain. Cheeky boy, he is. Currently dating my friend Emily, but that won’t last long.

That’s about it for now, I guess. Charlie says hi. Write back so we know you haven’t died of old age yet. Just kidding. Don’t ground me.

Lots of love,

Your smaller, but older daughter’

Davina handed Leonhard her short letter to her parents. She still thought that Leonhard was a stupid name for an owl, but her Dad had insisted on naming the new family owl Leonhard. Marlene, the Lupin-Black’s old owl, had passed away in the girls’ third year at Hogwarts.

“Home, you weird bird,“ Davina told him and patted his head. In response, he tried to bite her. “You know the way.“

Leonhard didn’t hesitate for long and left Davina alone. For some reason, the owl didn’t like Davina. Perhaps because Missy once tried to attack Leonhard and he blamed Davina for it. Weird bird. She thought that her nickname for him fitted.

On her way down, she passed Noel Bailinger, the new Ravenclaw captain, Beater and boyfriend of Emily O’Marcy. The relationship between the Ravenclaw and the Slytherin was one of the weirdest things, Davina had ever witnessed. Sure, they looked pretty together. Noel was a handsome boy. Tall, with jet-black hair and blue eyes. Emily wasn’t extraordinarily beautiful, but she had nice, strawberry-blonde hair and a pretty face. But something about the pair was simply odd. Davina had no clue why a pretty and smart boy like Noel would be with a girl like Emily. She was with him because he looked good. Why was he with her?

“Morning, my second-favorite Lupin-Black sister,“ he greeted her with a cheeky smile.

“There’s only two of us, you know,“ Davina answered.

“Yes, I am well aware of that. Ready for the match next week?“ Noel asked and raised one eyebrow.

“Ready to destroy Ravenclaw, you mean?“ Davina shot back and mimicked his expression, “Absolutely.“

“We will see,“ Noel simply answered, “A shame you’re not the new captain. Montague’s not made for the job.“

“I know right?“ Davina responded with a smile, “You’re not as dumb as you look, Bailinger.“

“Always a pleasure talking to you, Lupin-Black,“ he grinned and finally continued making his way up the stairs.

Davina rolled her eyes, but couldn’t quite wipe away her smile. She could understand why her sister was friends with Noel.

“Talking to the enemy?“ another voice interrupted what was supposed to be a quick and quiet trip to the Owlery before the classes started in the morning. Lydia White was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, her arms crossed.

“Making him fear for his life,“ Davina simply answered.

“Nice,“ Lydia said and gave her teammate a quick nod.

Over the years, Lydia had been the only one on the Quidditch team, who always stuck with Davina. At some point, Davina used to have this immense crush on Lydia (right after she got over her crush on Oliver Wood), but that was over.

“Wanna go on a quick walk with me before first period?“

Lydia looked worried, which was rather unusual. Davina didn’t think she had ever seen her friend worried before, about anything. She was a tough girl, with few interest in showing emotion.

“Sure,“ Davina said and joined Lydia.

-

Charlie didn’t know what was going on with her sister. On game day, she was usually extremely focused and in a good mood. Even when it was an important game, she was rarely worried or stressed. Quidditch was what she loved and there was no way she wouldn’t be happy about it. Today was different. Charlie could tell that from across the Great Hall.

“Everything alright?“ Elliot asked her quietly.

She quickly nodded, but he followed her stare to the Slytherin table, where Davina sat in between Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini.

“Trouble with your sister?“ Elliot asked again, more carefully. Things were good with the sisters, but Elliot was familiar with family trouble.

“No, everything’s fine,“ Charlie answered honestly, “I guess she’s simply nervous about the game.“

“She better be,“ Noel chimed in with a grin, “We’re in the mood to win.“

“I’ll be cheering for you,“ Elliot promised, not sounding as enthusiastic as he would have last year. 

Ever since Noel and that Emily girl had become an issue, the friendship between the two boys had become a little dammed. Charlie knew that Elliot tried to hide it, but Noel wasn’t dumb. He knew exactly what was going on.

“Unlike Charlie here, who will be cheering for her sister as always,“ Elliot quickly added and put his arm around Charlie.

“Once a traitor, always a traitor,“ Noel agreed and gave Charlie a naughty grin, “When will you develop some house pride, Charlie? I think it’s time.“

“I think you’re proud enough for the both of us, Noel,“ Charlie answered dryly, before getting up, “I promised Professor McGonagall I would help her with something before class. See you in Transfiguration.“

Ravenclaw and Slytherin only shared few classes, but after Potions, Charlie was sure, her sister was bothered by something. Today was the first time, Davina managed to anger Professor Snape by messing up a potion. After a few difficulties in the sisters’ first year, Davina and Snape got along wonderfully, as long as she didn’t mention her fathers. She proved his expectations of her wrong, by mastering every assignment she was given. Today was different. He almost took points from Slytherin before remembering that it was his own house. Snape would never take away points from Slytherin.

After the class, Charlie made sure to follow her sister quickly.

“Vina!“ she called after the small, brown-haired girl and immediately blushed, because a few people turned around to look at her.

“Charlie?“ Davina asked, surprised, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?“

“Are you okay?“ Charlie returned the question.

“Um, yeah,“ her sister mumbled, “Why wouldn’t I be?“

She avoided her sister’s eyes. Davina was a terrible liar, especially when it came to lying to her sister. Charlie knew something was going on.

“You’re the worst liar, you know that, don’t you?“ Charlie asked with a melancholic smile, “Talk to me.“

Davina sighed, but she gave in. “You in the mood for a walk around the lake?“

Charlie nodded and linked arms with her sister.

Sometimes, Davina was convinced that her sister had some kind of sixth sister sense. It was like her sister could read her feelings, especially the negative ones. The sisters had grown apart over the last years, in a healthy and normal way. They loved each other more than anything else, but they weren’t as dependent on each other as they used to be. Sometimes Davina missed the sisters’ childhood, when they spent hours hiding under blankets, telling each other stories. Things had been easier when they were kids.

“You know Lydia, right?“ Davina asked her sister, once they had put enough space between them and other curious ears.

“Yes,“ Charlie answered, her green eyes big, drowning in concern.

The other girl took a deep breath. “You have to promise me that you won’t talk to anybody about this. Not even Noel and Elliot. Nobody.“

Charlie frowned, but nodded. “You have my word, Vina. What’s going on?“

“Lydia’s pregnant,“ Davina said, as quickly and quietly as possible. She wasn’t sure Charlie had even heard her, but judging by her sister’s expression, she had.

“Do you know who the father is?“ Charlie asked, her voice calm and composed.

Davina shrugged. “She didn’t want to tell me. But she’s so bloody afraid, Charlie. She said her family would disown her if they knew. They’re very strict, you know. I’m guessing the father’s not a pureblood and that’s why she’s so freaked out. And, well, because she’s pregnant at sixteen.“

There was a short pause where both girls were stuck in their own thoughts. Charlie wondered, what it would be like, if one of them had gotten into a situation like this. It was unlikely, but not impossible. Would Remus and Sirius be mad? Charlie couldn’t imagine her fathers being anything but supportive if one of their daughters were pregnant at sixteen.

“She doesn’t know what to do,“ Vina continued, her voice sounding cold and weirdly distant, “Lydia’s absolutely desperate. I’m not quite sure, but I think she tried to kill it. You know, the baby. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do to help her and that’s making me go mad.“

Davina’s eyes were filled with despair and the pressing need to help her friend. It hurt Charlie to see her sister like this, but she knew the feeling far too well herself. Apparently, this was something the sisters had in common. A friend in need and no power to help them.

Charlie put her arm around her sister’s shoulders and squeezed her. “You’re doing the best you can by being a good and supportive friend and by listening to her,“ she assured her sister, “She’s lucky to have you as her friend.“

“I know,“ Davina sighed, “It’s just so frustrating. And it keeps me from focusing on Quidditch and we really need to kick Ravenclaw’s ass today. No offense.“

“None taken,“ Charlie smiled.

“Do you think it would help if we wrote a letter to Dad and Paps? I don’t know what they can do, but perhaps they have some advice.“

“Yeah, sure,“ Charlie answered, “I’m certain they do.“

Davina turned around to look at her younger sister. “Thank you for listening. Pansy wouldn’t care and Emily’s too busy swooning over Noel to notice anything going on around her.“

“You’re very welcome,“ the other responded with a warm smile, “That’s what sisters are for.“

Davina nodded and pulled Charlie close to hug her tightly. Charlie allowed herself to relax into her sister’s embrace for a few seconds, to breathe in the familiar scent of her hair, before pulling away again. All the weight seemed to be lifted from Davina’s shoulders again, but Charlie knew, she was just putting on a mask, ready to bury her worries deep inside of her. Her sister sometimes believed that talking about something once would end the problem. Charlie knew it better.

“Talking about Noel and Emily,“ Davina started moving again, away from the lake, back to where other students were, enjoying the last few hours before the Quidditch match in the sun, “Wanna join the bet? Pansy says it’ll last two weeks, but I give them a month. What do you say?“

Charlie gave her sister a reserved smile. “You know I don’t bet. But if you ask Elliot, he’ll probably say one more day.“

“He’s still not over Noel, no?“

Charlie sighed. “I don’t think he ever will be.“

“Poor boy,“ Davina said. Her gaze wandered over the Hogwarts students sitting on the grass, until she finally found Noel and Emily, her head on his lap, a book in his hands. Elliot was sitting a few meters away, studying alone. It didn’t seem fair that the one who only craved attention got Noel, while the one who actually loved Noel got nothing.

“You should probably go and cheer your friend up,“ Davina suggested and gestured into Elliot’s direction, “I’ll search for Graham Montague to discuss our strategies for today’s game with him, because everybody knows that I should’ve been named captain and not he, because he’s simply not qualified for that job and I don’t want to see Slytherin lose because of him.“

“Sounds like a plan,“ Charlie agreed, her mind already with Elliot, “Good luck for the game.“

“You better be cheering for me, Charlie!“ Davina called after her, as her sister walked away from her to sit with Elliot.

-

Not cheering for Davina had never been an option. Charlie didn’t care what the other members of her house called her; she didn’t care much about house pride anyways. Her loyalty would always belong to her family first, no matter what.

“Go Ravenclaw!“ Elliot shouted as the Quidditch match started and the other Ravenclaws joined him in his joyful cheer. All of them thought highly of Noel and were excited to see what he had done with the Ravenclaw team, now that he was their captain. Elliot cared as much about Quidditch as Charlie did, but he cared about Noel.

“Go Vina!“ Charlie shouted and received a few irritated looks from the people around her.

The game was fast and aggressive right from the beginning. One could tell that it was the first game of the season; each team was desperate to win and ready to demonstrate their strength. It didn’t take long until Davina scored for the first time.

The Ravenclaws booed loudly and Charlie received some ugly looks for clapping. She could see how Davina and Noel exchanged some words up in the air and hoped they weren’t rude. Both of them could be short-tempered and she had already seen both of them get into fights over Quidditch. Charlie was surprised to see both of them grin.

After just a few more minutes, Ravenclaw scored. And then Slytherin. And then Ravenclaw again. The game was terrifyingly even and whoever caught the Snitch would win. The Seekers seemed to be clueless so far, but it probably wouldn’t take long until one of them saw the little golden ball.

In the end, it was Slytherin who won. Draco Malfoy caught the Golden Snitch, ended the game and won Slytherin 150 points, which lead to their win. The Slytherins celebrated like they had won the Quidditch World Cup. The Ravenclaws were mad about the loss, mumbled insults at various Slytherin players, but luckily for them, nobody dared to say anything about Charlie’s sister - at least not in her presence.

Davina found her sister after she had showered and celebrated quickly with her team. All of them celebrated Graham as if it was his doing. Davina knew it was hers. Graham only scored once and did nothing in order to prepare his team. Sure, she wanted to celebrate, but not with a team who didn’t acknowledge her efforts. Charlie was standing next to Elliot and Noel as usual, the boys were talking, Elliot’s cheeks were all red and flustered.

“Waiting for the star of the game?“ she asked sarcastically and all three of them turned around to look at her.

“Vina!“ Charlie exclaimed and hugged her sister, “Congratulations on the win. I knew you could do it.“

“Congrats,“ Elliot said and gave Davina a brief smile. For some reason, he seemed afraid of Slytherins. Davina returned the smile and then looked at Noel, waiting for his response.

Noel held out his hand. “Good job out there, Lupin-Black. Next time, we won’t let you win that easily.“

Davina took his hand and grinned mischievously. “Have fun trying to keep up with us, Bailinger.“

The black-haired boy opened his mouth to say something, but a shrill shriek stopped him.

“Noel, baby!“ Emily appeared out of the nowhere and wrapped her arms around Noel’s neck, “It’s such a shame, you didn’t win, everybody knows you were the stronger team, it was a coincidence that Malfoy found the Snitch first. I cheered for you throughout the whole game, though!“

Davina cleared her throat. “Ems, I’m standing right here, you know. Your friend. Fellow Slytherin. Chaser for the Slytherin Quidditch team.“

Emily didn’t let go of Noel, but at least she turned her head to look at Davina. “Right, sorry. Congrats, Vina.“

Davina gave her friend a bitter smile. This was going to be a long month. Or two weeks. Elliot looked like he wished it had been over yesterday. Davina silently agreed with him.

A shy voice sounded from behind the small group. “Davina Lupin-Black?“

She turned around, surprised. A tall, slim girl was standing in front of her with golden curls and eyes in the color of honey. Judging by her yellow and black scarf, she was a Hufflepuff, but Davina didn’t recognize her, so she was probably not in fifth year.

“Yes?“ she asked, confused.

“I’m Mae Evers, sixth year. I’m part of the new Hogwarts newspaper project and we have just started working on our first issue. We would like to have an article about women in Quidditch and think you’re a perfect example, well-known in the Hogwarts community and would like to interview you for the article. Would that be alright with you?“

She had a soft, but incredibly pleasant voice. Her eyes looked kind and she grew more and more comfortable as she spoke. Davina hadn’t heard yet of the new Hogwarts newspaper project, but the offer sounded great. Women in Quidditch? Exactly what Davina was passionate about.

“Um, sure,“ she stammered, probably sounding utterly stupid, “When shall the interview take place?“

Mae smiled and Davina melted like hot chocolate. “Perhaps tomorrow after class? I will pick you up at the Slytherin common room.“

“O-okay.“

“Splendid! I’ll see you tomorrow then!“ Mae said, turned around and walked away with light steps like a fairy.

Davina turned around to look at her sister, her mouth hanging slightly open. Charlie looked at her with a big, knowing grin. She knew exactly what was going on inside of her sister - she always did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am still alive. Charlie and I should be studying (because that's what you do during your christmas break) but here we are, writing fanfiction. Seems reasonable, doesn't it?  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was a bit messy. I think, Charlie and I have a thing for focusing a lot on minor characters and giving them a dramatic story. What do you guys think about Lydia and her pregnancy? Or Elliot and Noel (we call them Nelliot)? But most importantly: what do you think about the sisters? Leave your thoughts in the comments and if you liked the chapter, please leave Kudos as well.


	14. tonight, we are young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midnight after the game and some relationship drama on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really have to apologise for this chapter, I wrote it in the middle of the night and I'm still not sure what to make of it.

Somehow they had all ended up in the Ravenclaw common room, Noel, Emily, Elliot, Davina and Charlie. Noel and Davina had made a little detour down to the kitchen and gotten two bottles of firewhisky to celebrate the match, while Charlie and Elliot had already walked up the tower, holding hands as usual, Emily following them slightly unsure of herself. It was a weird look on her normally so confident face and Charlie would have almost felt sorry for her but then Emily's face lit up in what could only be described as a plastic smile and Charlie felt all the sympathy that had tried to build up crumble down again. 

"So you two are a thing, then?" Emily asked in a cheerful tone and Charlie rolled her eyes, sharing a quick look with Elliot who just shrugged before a small smirk took over his lips, that Charlie normally only saw on her sister or Noel. In a fluid motion Elliot pulled Charlie against his side, pressing a kiss to her temple, what got a surprised, startled laugh out of the girl, before he looked at Emily over his shoulder, grinning. 

"Yep, we are," he answered cheekily, putting one arm around Charlie's waist. The younger girl got the hint without any words needed and she mimicked the movement, so that they were now walking directly next to each other, almost hugging. It was a perfect copy of what Emily and Noel looked like whenever they practically glued themselves to each other. 

They arrived at the top of the stairs, Charlie still chuckling slightly, Elliot grinning, when Noel and Davina joined them again, both panting and cheeks flushed, Davina reaching the top of the stairs just a few seconds before Noel, letting out a triumphant yell. 

"I win! Ha, two times a day, Bailinger, how does that feel?" she asked, still a little out of breath, a bottle of firewhisky that was already open and not completely full in her hand. Noel just laughed and took a swig out of his own bottle of firewhisky after toasting Davina mockingly. 

Charlie grinned at her sister's and friend's antics but when she saw Elliot's smile fade, she elbowed him in the ribs lightly and pulled him forward to the knocker at the door to the common room. 

"What am I?" the eagle shaped knocker asked and Elliot groaned, just as Davina yelled "A door knocker, you idiot!" from behind them, followed by a loud snort from Noel. 

"This is one of those that seems really obvious but is really stupid to answer and I never get those right," Elliot whined and Charlie patted his head in a soothing gesture even though the grin never left her face, before she turned back to the knocker. 

"The answer, my dear, is: A question," she answered and the knocker inclined its head. 

"Nicely said, miss," and the door swung open and Charlie pulled Elliot in after her, while he stared at her in disbelief. 

"How did you know that so quickly?" 

Charlie just grinned, as she pulled him down next to her on their usual sofa directly next to the fire, while Davina, Noel and Emily followed them, Davina and Noel arguing about the game once again. They were so engrossed in their argument that they didn't even notice how they took the second loveseat, leaving Emily to sit in one of the armchairs, a pout firmly in place on her lips. 

Charlie let herself sink against her best friend and almost immediately his arms came up around her waist, hugging her close, while her hands rested on top of his. Elliot was only a little bit taller than her, all gangly limbs and sharp bones and Charlie was a bit shorter than him and softer but somehow they fit together perfectly like this. With a sigh she looked up at her friend. 

"He used it before, you know?" she murmured, her head lazily resting against Elliot's shoulder. He simply raised an eyebrow. 

"The knocker, idiot," Charlie chuckled, "he used that riddle before. That's how I knew the answer so quickly." Elliot looked at her for a second longer before the smile from before returned to his face. 

"And here I was, thinking you were super intelligent. I don't think I can date you anymore if you're actually that stupid," he exclaimed dramatically, a hand clutching his chest. Charlie drew away a bit, looking at him in mock hurt. 

"But Elliot - my one, true love - how dare you betray me like this? I thought we had something real and beautiful," she whined and got up to kneel on the floor in front of him. 

By now the other three occupants of the room were watching them in mild confusion and shock in Emily's case and pure amusement in Noel's and Davina's.   
Elliot sat up slightly, shaking his head and looking away in disgust, biting his lip so that he didn't have to start laughing. Charlie herself had to hide a grin. 

"No, Charlotte. We cannot be together under circumstances like these. It's impossible. What would my poor mother think of this?" he asked and now Charlie couldn't help but roll her   
eyes. 

"Your mother doesn't dictate your life, love! Can't you see that I love you from the bottom of my very heart and soul and that all I need for a fullfilled and happy life is you?" she cried and now Elliot couldn't help but laugh right as Charlie got up and hugged him in her despair, before she started to laugh as well and they both fell back into their previous positions on the sofa, fingers entwined. 

Davina took another swig from her rapidly emptying bottle, grinning broadly, while she leaned back against the armrest of the loveseat, her legs propped up over Noel's lap, who didn't really seem to mind. Both' cheeks were flushed from the alcohol in their veins and they were watching Charlie and Elliot with bemused expressions, even though Noel's was lined with confusion. He leaned over to Davina a few inches while still looking at the other two Ravenclaws and whispered: "Are you absolutely sure that they aren't a couple?"   
Davina turned her head to look at him and for a second Noel looked at her sister with what seemed a bit like jealousy but the look was gone faster than it had appeared and Davina ignored it in favour of laughing loudly at the question. 

"Elliot and Charlie? Never. That's absurd." 

Noel didn't really seem convinced but he leaned back and took another swig from his bottle. Now Davina couldn't help but look over at her sister and wonder for a second if Noel might actually be right. Charlie looked so relaxed and comfortable and her hands were idly playing with Elliot's, while she listened to something Elliot was telling her in a quiet whisper. Davina never saw her sister this comfortable with anyone except herself and their parents. 

All of a sudden Davina felt a weird ache around her heart. Charlie would tell her, if she and Elliot were really a thing, her sister would be the first to know it, right? She frowned slightly but then shook her head and emptied her bottle of firewhisky to rid herself of those thoughts. 

Emily was still sitting in her armchair, though sitting was probably the wrong term for it. She was rather sprawling all across the chair, idly playing with her hair while she studied her boyfriend and best friend acting like newlyweds. It was nauseating. 

Noel's bottle was almost empty when he suddenly jumped up from the sofa, his eyes gleaming with both ideas and excitement as he looked down at Davina who was still lying on the sofa, one eyebrow slightly arched, looking at Noel with equal parts suspicion and anticipation. 

"Hey, Lupin-Black, you know in all those muggle movies where they live in dorm rooms at boarding schools and their stairs are all spiral staircases?" Noel asked, sounding way too excited for Charlie's liking. His words slurred together slightly, the only indicator that he had just had a whole bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky. Davina sat up fully, looking at him in obvious interest now. That seemed to be enough to motivate Noel to continue talking. 

"You know, those first year rituals where they have to slide down the stairs on their mattresses? We never did that. Let's do it now," the last part was murmured in a stage whisper, loud enough to be heard by Charlie and Elliot who looked at each other and simultaneously sighed and rolled their eyes. Yet they just remained where they were and didn't protest, knowing that it wouldn't really do anything to stop their friends from being stupid, already accepting their fate of having to somehow bail them out of detention after this. 

Davina almost immediately jumped up at the mention of doing something forbidden and more than slightly crazy. 

Emily stared at Noel in disbelief as he conjured up his and Elliot's mattresses from their beds upstairs and her gaze followed him and Davina to the door of the common room as they dragged the mattresses there and out to the staircase. But she still didn't say anything, somehow intrigued by Davina's sister and her boyfriend sitting next to her, who seemed completely relaxed in the face of the stupidity about to happen. 

Elliot sighed quietly and Charlie looked up at him, now smirking. 

"You wanna watch the two of them get their asses busted?" she proposed and now Elliot smirked as well and within seconds the two of them were up and following Davina and Noel out to the staircase. Emily stayed behind, turning more and more sour with every second that passed. 

Davina and Noel had already taken up position next to each other, both perched on one mattress, holding up the front to avoid it toppling over and send them crashing. Noel was kneeling on his mattress, Davina was sitting, not wanting to royally screw up her kneecaps. They looked at each other, identical grins stretching over both faces, then they looked over their shoulders to the other two Ravenclaws standing at the top of the stairs. 

Charlie looked amused and slightly exasperated, whereas Elliot looked mostly frightened and a bit excited. Davina gave her sister a playful wink, which Charlie only shook her head at and Noel grinned at Elliot, before they both counted to three and simultaneously pushed themselves off the top step of the stairs. 

It went as well as anyone would have expected, really. Davina managed to crash into a wall feet first after only a few steps because she didn't really thing of a way to navigate a mattress which resulted in her hitting her head against the wall. Her crash threw Noel off course and with a barely held back yell he toppled over and rolled down the rest of the stairs until his fall was stopped on the fourth story where he jumped to his feet immediately, throwing his arms into the air in triumph. 

"I did the Elliot!" he yelled before he clamped a hand over his mouth and ran back upstairs as quickly as he could, the adrenaline in his veins mixed with the alcohol preventing him from feeling any of the pain of his crash. Davina was already being half-carried upstairs by her sister who threw a scowl at Noel, as soon as he joined them. 

"That was rude," Charlie hissed and Noel raised an eyebrow. 

"What was rude?"

"Oh, you know exactly what I mean, Bailinger. 'I did the Elliot', very funny," Charlie grumbled, while she helped a slightly disoriented Davina back upstairs, a grin on the smaller girl's lips. 

"Hey, Bailinger! I had a very intimate rendezvous with the wall, did'ya see that?" she asked still grinning and Noel grinned back, not even caring about Charlie's glares. 

"Yeah, that was one magnificent crash, we should do this again sometime!" he suggested excitedly and Charlie couldn't resist to roll her eyes as she heaved her sister through the door that Elliot was holding open and immediately towards the stairs to the girl's dorm, even though her sister and Emily, who was still sitting in her armchair, protested. Charlie was having none of it. 

"Nope, you've got two choices, Vina. Either you get up there and sleep here or I'll drag you to Madame Pomfrey and you can explain to her why you have a concussion in the middle of the night. Are we clear?" she sat her ultimatum and Davina seemed to inflate a bit at those words but still nodded. Charlie looked over at Elliot who was now trying to keep Noel from going back outside while also levitating the mattresses back upstairs to their dorm and she smiled lightly before she looked over at Emily, her glance turning a few degress colder. 

"Emily, I think it'd best if you went to your own dorm now. I'm taking care of Vina," she said and her tone didn't leave any room for discussion. 

Davina looked at her with a slightly confused expression. 

"When the hell did you turn so bossy, Charlie?" she asked her sister with a slightly dazed look in her eyes and Charlie only rolled her eyes. 

"Since you can't take care of yourself apparently," she murmured while she helped her sister upstairs. Davina leaned against Charlie in an attempt to stay upright and frowned slightly. 

"You sound a lot like Dad whenever Paps and Uncle James do something inherently stupid and Dad and Aunt Lily have to bail them out of trouble." 

Charlie smiled at the comparison as she sat Davina down on her bed and helped her get rid of her uniform before she pressed a pair of her own sweatpants and one of their father's t-shirts into Davina's hand for her to change into, while Charlie did the same. 

Davina sat on Charlie's bed and looked at her sister, frowning as she didn't recognise the oversized shirt she was wearing. 

"That isn't yours, right?" she asked confused and Charlie looked down at the shirt and shook her head before she sat down next to her sister. 

"That's Elliot's." She looked at her bed. "It's okay that we sleep in one bed? I mean it definitely is big enough, Elliot and I manage it all the time but if you want I could-" She was cut off by her sister who pulled her down onto the mattress beside her so that they were lying face to face. 

"Cut the crap, Charlie. In which Universe would I kick you of all people out of your own bed? We've always slept in one bed back home, remember?" Davina murmured and Charlie chuckled quietly at the mention of their childhood. 

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep without you near." 

"Well, now you seem to have replaced with Elliot," Davina said and immediately wanted to take it back. She hadn't meant for it to come out this bitter, this weird but there it was. But Charlie only smiled softly and took her sister's hand. 

"Even if I could I would never replace you, Vina. Nothing could replace a sister as annoying as you," she grinned and squeezed Davina's hand. Davina still didn't look really convinced. 

"But you'd tell me if there ever were anyone to replace me? Like Elliot? I mean, you would tell me the next time you got a boyfriend?" she asked and Charlie stared at her for a second before she beegan to laugh. 

"Oh my god, Vina, do you honestly think Elliot and I are - like - really together? We're just friends. Even though it may not look like that at all times," she chuckled and Davina looked into her sister's eyes in search of a lie but she only found what she had hoped to find. 

"But if I ever were to date anyone, you would be the first to know, promise," Charlie added and then a mischievous smirk pulled at her lips, "Just as you will let me know the second you get a date with that Hufflepuff from the Newspaper." 

Davina immediately blushed and tried to answer but Charlie only giggled and waved her hand in a dismissing gesture. 

"Get some sleep, Vina. We can talk about your huge crush on Mae Evers tomorrow when your head is a bit clearer," she grinned and then pulled her blanket a bit higher up around the two of them. 

Davina sighed quietly and relaxed into the familiarity of the situation, reminded of so many nights in their childhood that they had spent together because Charlie hadn't been able to sleep without her sister near her. It almost felt like they were six years old again. With a small smile on her face, Davina fell asleep, more easily than in any other night.


End file.
